Could we BE any more excited? Marcel the monkey from Friends might be making his way back onto screens.
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Or her way, rather. Turns out that the white-headed capuchin who played Ross’ pet in the US sitcom is actually called Katie. And yes, she’s still alive.
As confirmed with her trainers by THR, Katie is currently in her mid-to-late 20s (capuchin monkeys live up to 40 years old!) and recently appeared on the set on FX's Y: The Last Man, an adaptation of Brian K Vaughan's graphic novel.
In the show, she's cast as Ampersand, companion to Barry Keoghan's lead, the last surviving man on Earth who is on a mission to find out why the male population has been wiped out.
Katie was first recognised by FX CEO John Landgraf, who previously developed Friends, while reviewing footage of The Last Man. “I recognize Jennifer Aniston, I recognize Courteney Cox and I recognize that monkey!" Landgraf recalled at a Television Critics Association summer press tour.
"There's nothing like a really experienced actor who knows how to hit their marks!”
Pictured: (l-r) Katie/Monkey as Marcel, David Schwimmer as Ross Geller, Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing, Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani, Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay, Courteney Cox as Monica Geller, Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green in Friends
So, when will we see Marcel Katie swing onto screens once more? Well, she might not appear in The Last Man after all. Katie was only cast in the show’s pilot and it’s unclear if she’ll reprise her role after FX recently swapped out show's heads.
Still, even if she doesn’t appear in The Last Man, Katie has had a huge career. And we’re not just talking about Friends or (Jean-Claude Van Damme movie Outbreak 2: The Virus Takes Manhattan).
Katie has also starred in 30 Rock, Nickelodeon series Sam & Cat (alongside Ariana Grande) and has even been hired as Rally Monkey, a Los Angeles baseball team mascot. According to Buzzfeed, Katie has even been modelling alongside Kendall Jenner.
And remember the monkey from Bruce Almighty? The one that bursts out of a gang member’s behind? That was Katie.
Thomas is Digital editor at BBC Science Focus. Writing about everything from cosmology to anthropology, he specialises in the latest psychology, health and neuroscience discoveries. Thomas has a Masters degree (distinction) in Magazine Journalism from the University of Sheffield and has written for Men’s Health, Vice and Radio Times. He has been shortlisted as the New Digital Talent of the Year at the national magazine Professional Publishers Association (PPA) awards. Also working in academia, Thomas has lectured on the topic of journalism to undergraduate and postgraduate students at The University of Sheffield.
