Google News Brooke Shields Revisits Andre Agassi's Emotional Reaction to Her "Friends" Role
by FARUK IMAMOVIC | VIEW 1101
Brooke Shields, actress and former wife of tennis champion Andre Agassi, recently opened up about a violent reaction her ex-husband had to her role in the popular television series "Friends." In an interview with The New Yorker, Shields recounts the events that led to the destruction of Agassi's tennis trophies.
Scene Sparks Controversy
The incident in question took place during the filming of the 1996 episode "The One After the Superbowl, Part 1." Shields, who was dating Agassi at the time, was playing the character of Joey's love interest.
In the scene, Joey decides to go on a date with Shields, and in a moment of comedic enthusiasm, Shields licks Joey's hand. Agassi, who was in the audience at the time of filming, was not pleased with the scene and reportedly stormed out of the studio.
According to Shields, Agassi went home and broke all of his tennis trophies in a fit of anger. When asked about the incident, Shields responded, "Co-opted' gives him too much credit. It was petulant behavior. Well, I guess you're right.
It co-opted it for me emotionally, because all of a sudden then my focus went to him."
Crystal Methamphetamine Use Contributes to Irrational Behavior
Shields later learned that Agassi was using crystal methamphetamine around the time of the incident, which may have contributed to his irrational behavior.
Agassi wrote about his methamphetamine use in his 2009 autobiography. When asked about Agassi's reaction, Shields said, "He said, 'Everybody's making fun of me. You made a fool of me by that behavior.' I'm, like, 'It's comedy!
What is the matter with you?' I learned later that he was addicted to crystal meth at that point, so that irrational behavior I'm sure had something to do with that."
Scene Leads to Career Opportunities
Despite the controversy surrounding the scene, Shields saw a positive outcome from it.
She explained, "What was so affirming about it was that, in the first take, they didn't want me to do the crazy laugh and the licking of his fingers...And then the second take, they scream, 'Shields! Put it back in!' All of a sudden, the energy changed, and all these men in suits started coming into the studio. The next day, I was asked if I wanted to do my own television show."
