superb cast makes it hard to imagine any other actors in their place, but there are many famous figures who initially auditioned for these iconic roles. is one of the most successful sitcoms of the last few decades, and it continues to garner new fans in the streaming age. The chemistry between the friends is unmistakable, but what would have happened if one of the original six wasn't cast in their role?
While the roles seem to be tailor-made for these performers, only a few of the were written with specific actors in mind. Others required hundreds of auditions, which featured some of today's most well-known comedians. Thankfully, creators David Crane and Marta Kauffman's meticulous process discovered their pitch-perfect cast members. However, there were many other actors who almost made the cut.
Lisa Kudrow was one of the first actors to be cast in . Although Kudrow auditioned twice, she eventually won over producers via her role as Ursula Buffay on NBC's thanks to her quirky charms and impeccable comic timing. Kudrow was able to play both characters, and even wrote Ursula into the show as .
There were rumors that Ellen DeGeneres turned down the role to star in her own titular NBC series, but DeGeneres denied this on in 2015. There were a number of other actresses rumored to have auditioned for the part of Phoebe, including Kathy Griffin and Jane Lynch, but Lynch told she never auditioned. While all of these women went on to have successful acting careers in comedy, it is hard to imagine any of them filling Kudrow's shoes. Kudrow brought uniqueness and lovability to a character who could have seemed ridiculous in another actress's hands.
Out of all six friends, Rachel Green was arguably the main protagonist of the show. revolved around Rachel leaving her ex at the altar and beginning a life on her own. Throughout the ten seasons, it can be argued that Rachel had the most character development. Rachel, therefore, was an important role to get right. Courteney Cox was originally brought in to play the part of Rachel but ultimately was drawn to Monica's strong personality.
Besides Cox, there were many other actresses considered for Rachel. Jami Gertz auditioned and was originally offered the part by an NBC executive (via ). However, Crane didn't think she was Rachel, and Gertz passed on the role anyway. Gertz went on to become a series regular on and was Emmy-nominated for her role on. According to , Jane Krakowski also auditioned to . Krakowski went on to star in two comedic ensemble shows, and .
Before Cox showed interest in Monica Geller, the creators' choice was Janeane Garofalo, whose voice was in Crane and Kauffman's head while writing the role (via ). Garofalo went on to appear in many films, including and . Leah Remini made it to the final rounds of auditions for Monica but knew she had lost the part when she crossed paths with Cox in the parking lot (via ).
Remini returned to as a pregnant woman named Lydia, who bonds with Joey over basketball in "The One With The Birth." After her cameo on , Remini landed the role of Carrie Heffernan in Nancy McKeon also auditioned for the part and had previous ensemble cast experience as Jo on . According to Kauffman in an interview with , the final decision was between McKeon and Cox, who came across as than other actresses who auditioned.
As one of the core characters of , Ross Geller was essential to cast correctly. While he can be socially awkward, the actor needed to bring both a lovable and intellectual quality. According to an interview with the , Mitchell Whitfield got far in the audition process but ended up playing Rachel's ex-fiancé, Dr. Barry Farber. Eric McCormack took multiple auditions for Ross but was passed over, which led him to eventually land a lead role in McCormack also told that the producer and director of the pilot, James Burrows, said to him years later, "r."
, Crane and Kauffman were most impressed by Schwimmer, who had auditioned a year earlier for a different pilot. After a bad experience on a short-lived TV show, Schwimmer was initially reluctant to leave the theater to star in a sitcom before being won over. It is difficult to imagine anyone else pulling off Ross's demeanor and wide range of quotable lines.
The role of Joey was originally envisioned as a traditional ladies' man in , but LeBlanc brought a sweetness to him. In an interview with , Hank Azaria said he auditioned twice for the role of Joey. He wasn't fit for the part, but he did appear in as . Louis Mandylor was another actor who auditioned for Joey but ended up appearing several years later in a smaller role (). Ironically, Mandylor played a Joey lookalike who Joey tried to pass off as his to make some fast cash. Mandylor is also known as Nick Portokalos from the franchise.
Vince Vaughn also auditioned for the role. While the casting director was impressed with his acting, he wasn't what they had envisioned for the part (via ). Interestingly, LeBlanc's audition didn't initially fit Crane and Kauffman's vision for Joey either. Crane told that "" but LeBlanc played dumb very well. This led to the creators realizing that as someone simple-minded but with a big heart worked in the sitcom's favor.
Chandler Bing turned out to be the hardest part to cast. The creators needed someone who could deliver dry humor without coming across as a jerk. While Matthew Perry was considered early on for the role, he was committed to another pilot about baggage handlers, a show called . Perry coached Craig Bierko for the role of Chandler since he didn't think he was available for . His coaching proved to be helpful since the producers offered the part to Bierko, but Bierko turned it down. Luckily for , Perry's sitcom failed to launch, and he was able to take the role (via ).
Jon Cryer also auditioned for the part, but his audition tape got lost by the carrier and was never reviewed (via ). , but he turned it down to focus on writing, co-producing, and starring in viaFavreau eventually appeared on as Pete Becker, Monica's rich boyfriend. After his role in , Favreau continued to grow his career both in front of and behind the camera. He has been an important figure in the early MCU as well as the universe, with his CV including directing n and creating .
