9 Co-Stars Who Became Besties In Real Life

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Work is one of the most common places to make friends, no matter the job. While most of the working world tends to see the same people every day, ensuring that those friendships are constantly reinforced, things are different in the entertainment industry. Actors will sometimes work on a single movie or a few seasons of a show together and become close during that period, but end up going their separate ways shortly thereafter. They may still be friendly, but their close bond often ends when the project does. However, there are some on-set friendships that continue well after the wrap party and press tour.

These actors form a special bond that goes beyond working friends and turns into something so much more. They become important pieces of each other's lives, being there for one another through thick and thin, helping each other land the biggest roles of their lives, and, on occasion, even becoming a type of family. These are the actors who came to set as strangers but left as BFFs, and their fans can't get enough of their friendships.

When Busy Philipps joined "Dawson's Creek" in 2001, Michelle Williams made her feel right at home. In Philipps' memoir, "This Will Only Hurt a Little," she recounted how she first got to know Williams by talking about bands and books. Philipps wrote, "She was tiny and adorable... I liked her immediately." 

Williams felt the same way, telling Entertainment Weekly, "When I met her, she was the coolest girl I had ever seen ... She was my first real friend I ever had." Philipps and Williams have been there for one another through tragedy and triumph. In fact, the two are so close that their daughters think of one another as cousins. 

Even though they have a 24-year age gap between them, Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul became so close while making "Breaking Bad" that they went into business together. Instead of making meth like their characters, the two produce Dos Hombres tequila.

The duo's shared sense of humor contributed to their bond, and even helped them make fun of their friendship on an episode of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia." Opening up about their relationship, Paul, who sees Cranston as both a friend and mentor, told Flaunt, "I love the man. I feel blessed that my path has crossed with his."

Jon Bernthal is known for playing tough guys like the Punisher, while Tom Holland's claim to fame is being the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Although the comic book characters they portray may not be pals, these two actors are.

Bernthal and Holland became close after meeting in 2015 on the set of the film "Pilgrimage." They even helped one another land their roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with the actors helping each other audition. Bernthal even gave Holland the idea to do a big backflip in his famous "Spider-Man" audition tape.

While their characters weren't exactly close, Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey became friends on the set of "The Office," connecting during the filming of the season one episode "Basketball." Fischer and Kinsey developed a real-life friendship after spending two long days sitting side-by-side during filming.

The duo has continued to work together since "The Office" ended, co-hosting the "Office Ladies" podcast and writing "Office BFFs," a book about the making of the hit sitcom. When they aren't recording episodes of their podcast, the two say they send each other frequent voice memos.

With their laidback personalities, it isn't hard to believe that Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey became close friends. While they actually aren't sure when they first met, they became friends while making "EdTV" together. However, their similarities may be deeper than most friendships.

According to McConaughey's mom, she met Harrelson's dad in West Texas. If her memory is right, Harrelson's father may also be McConaughey's, which would make them half-brothers. While the actor has avoided taking any DNA tests, he and Harrelson have turned the possibility into a TV series, "Brothers," for Apple TV. 

Blake Lively, Alexis Bledel, America Ferrera, and Amber Tamblyn all met while making "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants," and, like the characters they played, they all became close friends. Even after two decades, the foursome continues to support each other in their endeavors. In 2023, they reunited to celebrate Ferrera's billion-dollar blockbuster, "Barbie."

The friends also stand up for one another when needed. When Blake Lively found herself trapped in a scandal around "It Ends with Us," the others jumped to her aid, putting out a statement on Instagram to support their sister in traveling pants.

Zach Braff and Donald Faison met at the first table read for "Scrubs" and, as Faison explained on Build, it was like meeting a soulmate. After the first season of the series wrapped, they even moved into an apartment together in New York. "... That cemented it," Faison said. "That's when we knew we were gonna be together forever."

The duo has remained close ever since, and while they may not be roomies anymore, they live just a few blocks away from one another in Los Angeles. Faison even met his wife, CaCee Cobb, at Braff's 30th birthday party, and they had their wedding at Braff's home. 

Martin Short and Steve Martin first crossed paths in 1986 when Short was picking up the script for "The Three Amigos" at Martin's home. Recalling the moment they met, Short said (via People), "I walked in and saw all this incredible art and said, 'How did you get this rich? Because I've seen your act.' We've been close ever since." 

Since that fateful meeting, the two have teamed up a number of times over the past four decades. They've had somewhat of a renaissance recently by teaming up with Selena Gomez for the hit series, "Only Murders in the Building."

Like the characters they played on "The Office," Mindy Kaling and B.J. Novak were in an on-again-off-again relationship while working on the show. While the romance may not have worked out, the two have remained close, with Novak telling E!, "I'll talk to her as long as she'll talk to me."

Novak is even the godfather to all three of Kaling's children. As Kaling explained to Bustle, "He really is in our family, and I love talking about him because my kids adore him, and he's such a huge part of our life."