Marcel  

BIO

Friends Fact! David Schwimmer accused the handlers of his on-screen pal Marcel the monkey of being "too possessive". He claims that he was never allowed to bond with the creature.

Marcel the Monkey was marked as star material since he was born. Carefully trained by expert animal handlers, he auditioned for several TV pilots before he landed his role in Friends.

Marcel spent only one season on the cast of Friends. He didn't bond well with his other cast members. The other six actors were a tightly knit group, and the capuchin monkey never became part of it.

One difficulty was dietary. Marcel ate live worms, which the other cast members found repulsive. If Marcel didn't chew his lunch properly, he would throw up half-digested worms, causing Matt LeBlanc to join him in worshipping the porcelain god.

In an ugly little display of politicking and backstabbing, the six humans managed to make life unbearable for the little monkey for his entire tour of duty on the show. Finally, the producers of Friends ceded to the cast's demands and wrote Marcel out of the show.

Friends was just the start of Marcel's career. He immediately landed a leading role in "Outbreak" with Dustin Hoffman. Dustin recieved an Academy Award nomination for best actor; Marcel was considered for Best Supporting Monkey, but lost out to charismatic ape Ed--who was, ironically, Matt LeBlanc's co-star.

Friends Fact! Marcel's trainer, Nerissa Pulizer, said of her charge: "If Marcel were human, she'd be Meryl Streep." Why did she say this? Nobody knows.

So far, Marcel's movie has been more successful than any of the later offerings by the Friends cast.

Marcel is currently doing stand-up comedy in Vegas.

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FILMOGRAPHY 1994: TV show: Friends1995: Outbreak1995: Showgirls

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