What Friends Janice star did next – From movie fame to unrecognisable on-air appearance

Oh My God! was the legendary catchphrase used by Janice Litman-Goralink and known widely by fans of the Friends sitcom across the globe.

Maggie Wheeler would simply need to murmur those three words in a loud and harsh tone for viewers to instantly know Janice had returned.

The six main characters Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt Le Blanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer were all propelled to stardom and stormed Hollywood after the show had finished.

However, there were frequent regulars of the show such as Maggie who also played an integral part of the programme throughout its ten seasons.

Here, Daily Star explores Maggie Wheeler’s life.

Janice’s voice isn’t real

The world was shook when Chandler Bing’s ex-girlfriend announced that she’d made up the shrill voice as part of her audition which the directors loved.

However the starlet previously revealed that had she have not been sacked from a former role the idea to showcase that voice may not have happened.

Speaking to News.com.au, she explained: “I had been on the first season of the Ellen DeGeneres show and I had a great time working on that show – in the beginning it was called These Friends Of Mine – and I was fired from that show, I was devastated.”

She went on: “I was so shaken by it, it was an unthinkable thing as an actor, (but) I felt in a way liberated to do the work I wanted to do without fear or favour.

“On any other day I might have done the [Friends] audition differently, but it came hot on the heels of that and I felt free and decided to do what I wanted to do on that day and it worked in my favour.

“[Friends] wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t had to go through the fire.”

Private life

Four years before she embarked on a long-standing career with Friends, she tied the knot with Daniel Wheeler.

Daniel is a famous sculptor and the pair share two daughter’s together Gemma and Juno.

When it comes to their children, they opt to keep them out of the limelight but have occasionally shared odd and rare family snaps with the public.

Career

Fast-talking New Yorker Janice appeared in all ten seasons from 1994 to 2004.

While working on Friends, Maggie managed to land herself a part in the 1998 remake of Disney’s The Parent Trap, starring alongside Lindsay Lohan.

She played the role of camp leader Marva Kulp in the iconic film.

The actress also auditioned for the part of Debra Barone in Everybody Loves Raymond but was beat to the post by Patricia Heaton.

Producers decided that they still wanted Maggie to be part of the programme and offered up the recurring role of Debra’s friend Linda.

She’s also featured in Will & Grace, How I Met Your Mother, ER, Californication, shameless and more recently The Friends: The Reunion.

Unrecognisable appearance

Earlier this year, before The Friends: The Reunion resurfaced Maggie left fans flabbergasted during an interview with Australian breakfast programme Sunrise.

Viewers thought she looked unrecognisable – boasting a chic pair of thick framed pink glasses.

The TV stars iconic curled hair now featured whispers of grey and although her style was different to her character Janice, she appeared just as timeless and youthful seven years on.

Speaking on the show about her time on Friends, Maggie only had good things to say.

She said: ‘It was the best job ever really.

“The environment on that show was so wonderful, everybody was so collaborative, everyone was so friendly. The writers were extraordinary.”

During the bombshell interview, the icon explained she had already been friends with Jennifer Aniston who played Rachel Green, before she was cast on the NBC show.

Maggie also revealed she is still recognised to this day, with many fans still chiming her catchphrase ‘Oh, my god!’ as they meet her in the street.

Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk