Gunther (Friends character)
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| Gunther | |
|---|---|
 Gunther seen in a Friends promotional photo |
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| First appearance | The One with the Sonogram at the End |
| Last appearance | The Last One |
| Information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Central Perk Manager |
| Portrayed by | James Michael Tyler |
Gunther was a character in the popular television sitcom Friends played by James Michael Tyler. Gunther was the manager of the Central Perk coffeehouse, where the six main characters spent a great deal of their free time.
Contents |
[edit] History
Over the course of the series it emerged that Gunther had a crush on Rachel. He often fantasized about marrying her and let slip to Joey that one of the perks of his job was being able to stare at her all day. At Ross's bachelor party before his marriage to Emily Waltham he thanked Ross for not marrying Rachel. Gunther made several other comments that if put together, might show his love for Rachel, but since they were said to various characters, no one put it together. For at least part of the series, Rachel mistakenly thought that Gunther was gay, and in one episode, in what she thought was an encouraging remark, told him one day he would make "some guy the luckiest man in the world".
He was nearly always a peripheral character in the series, both onscreen and off, generally only adding a humor component or fulfilling his role as coffee-shop guy, and almost never involved in the plot. However, he played a pivotal role in the arc of the entire storyline when he revealed to Rachel that Ross had slept with the copy-shop girl while Ross and Rachel were "on a break" in their relationship. When Ross identified him as a link in the chain of people who had found out about his tryst (Gunther found out about it from his roommate Jasmine, one of Phoebe's massage parlor co-workers; oddly enough, the fact that Gunther shared an apartment with a beautiful woman was never brought up again), he said "Gunther, please tell me you didn't say anything to Rachel about me and the girl from the Xerox place." Gunther, eager to see Rachel get back on the market, responded with mock innocence: "I'm sorry. Was I not supposed to?" This marked the breakup of Ross and Rachel and the beginning of the turbulence that characterized their relationship in the rest of the series.
Gunther was a permanent fixture in the everyday lives of the friends, yet he never penetrated their inner circle. This became a running joke. At Ross' bachelor party, Chandler announced that he wanted Gunther to be his best man. Gunther immediately asked Chandler what his last name was; Chandler thought about it before defeatedly answering "Gunther Centralperk?" His last name remains unknown to the audience for the entire series. Another example of this is when Ross is celebrating getting tenure. Ross asks Gunther for six glasses, to which Gunther asks hopefully "You want me to join you?" to which Ross replies "Oh, I thought Joey was here -- five is good." Gunther was fluent in Dutch, once calling Ross an 'ezel' (literally: donkey). When Ross looked up the word 'ezel' in the dictionary he added that Gunther was an 'ezel' himself. Gunther overruled Ross by saying "jij hebt seks met ezels" (literally: You have sex with donkeys), leaving Ross baffled, not knowing what the sentence meant.
Gunther's peroxide blonde hair was also a source of much entertainment. Rachel described it as being "as bright as the sun," and when Gunther told Joey he had an appointment to have it dyed, Joey said, "but I love your natural color." When guessing the identity of the father of Rachel's baby, Phoebe asked, "Is it Gunther?" Rachel denied it was, and Phoebe said, "Thank God, because that hair on a baby?" The hair color was actually an accident. The day before his audition, one of the actor's friends, who had studied to become a hairdresser, experimented on his hair. When Tyler showed up, the producer liked it so much they decided to keep it.
Gunther used to be an actor, having played a character called Bryce in All My Children. The character was eventually killed off after being buried in an avalanche, which he reveals to Joey after Joey's Days of Our Lives character is killed off that series.
Gunther is commonly used as an unattractive alternative to the main friends, but confusingly, is sometimes seen as somewhat of a sex symbol (towards the end of the show). In season 5, when helping Rachel get over Ross, Monica lists prospective dates, including Gunther. Rachel begins to say "I guess he is kind of cute" before having her attention turned to an attractive guy she flirted with in the past. When she chooses him over Gunther, Gunther throws the guy out of Central Perk. Ross and Monica's mother, Judy Geller, remarked Gunther was a "sexy blonde" and prominently added him to her "list", which is a list of people she can have sex with outside her marriage. Phoebe also gave small impressions that she may secretly be attracted Gunther, despite often mocking him before ("That hair on a baby!"). She once remarked "Sure, Gunther is sexy in an obvious way...", and when referring to the number of attractive men in Paris, said "it's like a whole city full of Gunthers".
[edit] Love for Rachel Green
In the Series finale of Friends, Gunther finally tells Rachel about him having a crush on her. This is seen throughout the show, when, at times, Gunther would become jealous when Rachel was with a boyfriend. Rachel, on her way to Paris for her new job, said how it was so sweet and that she would think of him in Paris. However, she never talks about loving him back, although she does say, "I love you, too. Probably not in the same way, but I do." This still shows no evidence that Rachel ever loved Gunther back.
[edit] Gunther in the Friends game
Gunther's voice was used in Friends video game for PS2, PC and Xbox, "Friends: The One with all the Trivia" as a host along with Jack Geller, Judy Geller and Janice.
In Friends: Scene It?, Gunther is also the narrator. During the Final Cut turns and sometimes the end, when the winner is congratulated, Gunther will tell the player(s) what to do or congratulate the winner. Before leaving, he says, "Rachel is my girlfriend," in order to make the audience believe he is a highly respectable man.
[edit] Trivia
- Gunther didn't speak until the 33rd episode he was in, in which he only had one word to say ("Yeah").
- Tyler was cast as Gunther because he was the only extra who knew how to operate an espresso machine - imperative to working in a coffee house.
- Gunther and Chandler were both smokers. This was revealed in an episode where Chandler bribed Gunther with a puff of his cigarette in order to smoke inside Central Perk. ("Oh, dark mother, once again I suckle at your smoky teat," he exclaimed.)
- Gunther can speak Dutch.
| Friends |
|---|
| Cast: Jennifer Aniston • Courteney Cox • Lisa Kudrow • Matt LeBlanc • Matthew Perry • David Schwimmer Characters (respective to Cast): Rachel Green • Monica Geller • Phoebe Buffay • Joey Tribbiani • Chandler Bing • Ross Geller Other characters: Gunther • Janice • Ben • Guest stars • Recurring characters • Significant others Settings: Central Perk • Joey's apartment • Monica's apartment Music: "I'll Be There for You" • "Smelly Cat" • Friends soundtrack • Friends Again See also: DVD releases • Awards and nominations • Episode list • Running gags • Director list • Video game • Joey |
