TV feuds can be legendary, and can sometimes lead to certain stars turning their backs on a project, but there are also plenty of friendships that casts of shows have made.
Spending hours with the same people every day, several decide that instead of falling out, they’d rather be buddies, spending time with each other away from the show, and allowing enduring relationships to form.
From the cast of Friends who became real-life friends to the stars of Schitt’s Creek, see the off-screen bonds that came about after spending time on-screen.
© Alamy Stock PhotoBonds formed in the small town
Schitt’s Creek
Schitt’s Creek might just be the best sitcom of recent years, and while father-son duo Dan and Eugene Levy have an off-screen bond, they also formed friendships with many of their castmates.
Emily Hampshire, who played Stevie Budd, joked that her character’s friendship with David Rose mirrored her actual friendship with Dan, telling Buzzfeed that she once jokingly texted him to say he was her only friend.
In an interview with The Advocate, she praised her co-star for fostering a place where she could come to terms with her own sexual identity, saying: “Dan changed my life in so many ways. I feel that he’s changed my life in a very similar way to the way he’s changed the lives of the people who watch the show.”
Annie Murphy also developed a close bond with her on-screen mum, who was played by the late Catherine O’Hara, often travelling to support the star for future projects.
© Getty ImagesThe cast remain close
M*A*S*H
The ensemble cast of stars who starred in the Korean War-set comedy drama was able to survive thanks to the friendships developed by the cast while they filmed for the show.
One of the best examples is the friendship developed between Alan Alda and Mike Farrell, even though Mike wasn’t part of the original cast and replaced Alan’s friend, Wayne Rogers. “Farrell took his place in the tent and as someone I confided in,” Alan wrote in his memoir. “We had a physical rivalry as well, competing to see who could learn to stand on his hands first.
“He had studied judo in the Army, and as a pastime, every time I was called to set, he would walk behind me and see if he could trip me and make me fall down.”
Meanwhile, Loretta Swit, who played Nurse Houlihan once shared: “We lost so many of our family — Wayne, McLean [Stevenson], Larry [Linville], David [Ogden Stiers], Bill [Christopher], Harry [Morgan]. Every one was a body blow, but it’s still forever. We loved each other, and we still do.”
© NBCUniversal via Getty ImagesThe enemies were actually friends
Little House on the Prairie
Even though Melissa Gilbert and Alison Arngrim played rivals on the classic NBC drama, they became the closest of friends once the camera stopped rolling.
Alison once joked: “Here’s Melissa Gilbert and I playing mortal enemies, beating each other senseless all week. And then on the weekends, we’d go to each other’s house for a slumber party, and we were hanging out.”
Michael Landon and Victor French, who played Charles Ingalls and Isaiah Edwards respectively, were also close friends away from the show. Michael once joked that he would continuously act with Victor, who was “the man I love”. Meanwhile, Victor once jested that the duo “spent more time together than a married couple”.
© Alamy Stock PhotoThe on-screen brothers are now living near each other
Supernatural
With very few core characters, Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki, who played brothers Dean and Sam Winchester, ended up becoming close buddies. And despite the brothers frequently clashing, this isn’t the case for the actors, who even served as groomsmen at each other’s weddings.
Speaking to TV Guide in 2007, Jared said: “That’s been probably the best thing about Supernatural. In the last three years of my life, I’ve spent more time with Jensen Ackles than with any other human being and vice versa.
“Luckily, we get along really well and we are very similar guys. We’re both from Texas, we both love our families, the same kind of music, and the Dallas Cowboys. It’s been a huge blessing to work with somebody who is easygoing on set and who I’m friends with.”
© Getty ImagesA group chat keeps the co-stars together
Downton Abbey
Downton Abbey has a ginormous cast, and yet despite this, the gang are incredibly close friends. Michelle Dockery even revealed last year that the cast all have a group chat to keep each other updated on one another’s lives.
Speaking to People, Michelle said: “It definitely is more active when we’re filming, then leading up to promoting it, there’s a flurry. But we all check in with one another, and it’s mainly just jokes. Just funny things.”
The actress also revealed that Hugh Bonneville, who played the Earl of Grantham, was instrumental in arranging cast meet-ups. “If anyone needs to talk about anything, he’ll kind of bring us all together,” she told the publication.
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