Friends star Maggie Wheeler has explained why her character Janice spoke in such a different voice to her own.
In the iconic sitcom, Janice Litman-Goralnik was the hilariously irritating one-time girlfriend of funnyman Chandler Bing ( Matthew Perry ).
Some of her most recognisable traits was her high-pitched, nasally voice and laugh, which is nowhere near like Maggie's own.
Speaking on Channel Seven's The Morning Show in Australia, 59-year-old Maggie explained the reason why she did that iconic voice.
"I made the decision about the voice in advance. I created the laugh because Matthew is so funny and I knew he would make me laugh on set," said Maggie.
"I thought Janice better have a laugh because he will crack me up every time we work together and so, that is how that happened."
She later elaborated when speaking to News.au, explaining that she impressed casting directors with the voice change after being fired from her previous role on Ellen DeGeneres' sitcom These Friends of Mine after a single season.
Maggie revealed: "I had been on the first season of the Ellen DeGeneres show and had a great time but when I was fired from that show, I was devastated."
"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."
The actress went on to add: "On any other day I might have done the Friends audition differently, but it came hot on the heels off that and I felt free and decided to do what I wanted to do on that day and it worked in my favour."
Maggie went on to have a recurring role on Friends from 1994 all the way until it ended with its tenth season in 2004.
The comedic actress also had guest roles in a variety of iconic sitcoms, including Will & Grace, Everybody Loves Raymond, and Seinfeld.
Friends is available now in its entirety on Netflix UK and HBO Max in the US.
What was your favourite Janice moment on Friends? Let us know in the comments below.
