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Actors Who Almost Landed Roles On The Show

The major six stars of the sitcom Friends, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer, are icons. We’re so used to figuring out them as the well-known six that it’s exhausting to believe anyone else was ever in the running to play Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler, and Ross. But loads of actors auditioned for the roles that launched these six actors to stardom.

While some of them went on to have success in other initiatives, others did eventually seem on the show in various celebrity cameos. Most actors that missed the chance to megastar on Friends regret it, even if some of the ones who did appear on the show, such as Tom Selleck, were actually intimidated by it! Check out these actors who almost landed roles on Friends.

15 Ellen DeGeneres Turned Down Phoebe Buffay

A stunning fact that not many people know about Ellen DeGeneres is that she was once actually the manufacturers’ first choice to play Phoebe Buffay. According to Metro, Ellen was once the one who became down the function of Phoebe, which later went to Lisa Kudrow. Ellen’s existence would possibly have been very other if she had authorised the role!

14 Eric McCormack Could Have Been Ross Geller

We all know Eric McCormack from one well-known sitcom: Will & Grace. But if issues had long gone in a different way, he may have been solid on Friends instead! He was once firstly a powerful contender for the position of Ross and auditioned more than one instances. Eventually, the producers determined to move with David Schwimmer.

13 Vince Vaughn Just Didn’t Fit The Part Of Joey Tribbiani

In an interview with the Huffington Post, Friends casting director Ellie Kanner printed that Vince Vaughn actually got here in to read for the part of Joey Tribbiani. While she believed he was a excellent actor and was once good-looking and tall, he just didn’t are compatible the part of Joey the same way that Matt LeBlanc did.

12 Monica Was Written For Janeane Garofalo

Janeane Garofalo wasn’t best in the working to play Monica Geller—the function was once actually written along with her in mind. Originally, the personality of Monica was going to be edgier, darker, and snarkier as a way to have compatibility Garofalo’s persona. But when Courteney Cox auditioned, the producers made up our minds that her Monica could be extra enjoyable to audiences.

11 Jon Cryer Was Asked To Audition For Chandler Bing

Jon Cryer is any other actor who just about made it onto Friends. He were given a call inviting him to audition for the role of Chandler whilst he was in London operating on a play. But by the time his video audition arrived in the United States, Chandler had already been solid. In any case, he ended up with a significant function on Two and a Half Men!

RELATED: We've Ranked The Friends Characters In Order Of Who We'd Want To Be

10 Tea Leoni Was Strongly Considered For The Role Of Rachel

Although it’s tough to imagine anyone however Jennifer Aniston enjoying Rachel Green, Tea Leoni was once strongly thought to be for the position. She selected to take on some other role as a substitute and was set to superstar in a chain called The Naked Truth. This may well be her largest be apologetic about in existence since that show was canceled in its first season.

9 Jon Favreau Turned Down The Role Of Chandler

Actor and director Jon Favreau did appear on Friends in short as Monica’s wealthy boyfriend Pete who wanted to be a cage fighter. But according to Hollywood.com, he can have landed a far larger role. He was once at the start presented the function of Chandler but turned it all the way down to center of attention on different interests.

8 Leah Remini Auditioned For The Role Of Monica

Another actor who didn’t make the reduce for one in every of the major six stars on the show is Leah Remini, identified for starring as Carrie Heffernan on The King of Queens. While she didn’t get thru the auditions, she was once later forged as a unmarried mom giving start in the identical medical institution as Carol.

RELATED: These Fan Theories About Rachel Green Make Too Much Sense To Ignore

7 Jane Krakowski Didn’t Get Very Far In Her Audition For Rachel

One famous actor who was almost cast in the classic sitcom is Jane Krakowski of 30 Rock. In an interview with E!, she admitted that she auditioned for the role of Rachel and really wishes that she had landed it. Unfortunately, she didn’t get very a long way into the audition procedure.

6 Kathy Griffin Auditioned For The Role Of Phoebe

We can completely see Kathy Griffin enjoying Phoebe (even if we’re convinced no person may do the position like Lisa Kudrow!). In an interview with HuffPost Live, she published that she auditioned for the role of Phoebe in Friends at the similar time that lots of her buddies in Hollywood have been auditioning.

RELATED: 15 Throwback Photos Of Jennifer Aniston That Are Too Good To Ignore

5 Craig Bierko Was Trained Up To Play Chandler

The former president of NBC Entertainment, Warren Littlefield, confessed in a Vanity Fair interview that he skilled Craig Bierko for the role of Chandler. While Matthew Perry was once the most well-liked selection, he couldn’t commit in the beginning as a result of he was tied to a pilot for Fox. In the end, though, Perry became to be had and Bierko moved on to different appearing interests.

4 Tiffani Thiessen Was Too Young To Play Rachel

Tiffani Thiessen, who’s absolute best recognized for playing Kelly Kapowski in Saved via the Bell, also auditioned for the function of Rachel Green. She printed in an interview with SiriusXM that despite the fact that she used to be promising, she was once too young for the position. Especially when in comparison to her co-stars, she was once simply too younger to pull off the character.

3 Nancy McKeon Nearly Starred As Monica

Nancy McKeon without a doubt looks like a Monica. According to Cosmopolitan, the casting agents at NBC have been extremely inspired along with her audition. It got here all the way down to McKeon and Courteney Cox. But in the finish, the writers and the president of NBC decided that Cox was once a greater are compatible for the part.

2 Elizabeth Berkley Wanted To Play Rachel

Another actor who was nearly cast in Friends is Elizabeth Berkley, who auditioned for the function of Rachel. Although she has the air of mystery required for the starring function, she didn’t make it thru the auditions. She went on to big name as Nomi Malone in Showgirls and in addition gave the impression in The First Wives Club.

1 Jane Lynch Auditioned For The Role Of Phoebe

Now famous for portraying Sue Sylvester on Glee, Jane Lynch auditioned for the function of Phoebe. Although she wasn’t rather right to play the quirky oddball of the workforce, she did end up enjoying Monica and Chandler’s real estate agent in the final season who displays them properties in the suburbs.

NEXT: 10 Underrated TV Sitcoms To Watch Instead Of Friends ... Again

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Elina Uphoff

Update: 2024-04-22