It seems like each character in Friends was perfectly made for the actor or actress who played the role. I like to consider myself a Friends expert; I have religiously watched the show for five years and can’t even count on my fingers how many times I have seen each episode. My love for the show got me curious about the ins and outs of how the show came to be. I came across the primary vision for the show, and was shocked as to how the show could have been! If you are a true Friends fan and want to be even more thankful for how it actually turned out, check out these ideas that were almost a reality for this hit TV show.
Courteney Cox (Monica) almost played the role of Rachel Green.
When the show first started casting, the producers requested Courteney Cox, who was the most famous of the six stars at the time, to play the role of Rachel Green. However, Cox requested to play the role of Monica instead because she thought she was a stronger character.
Matthew Perry almost was not part of the show.
*Chandler voice* “Could the show have been anymore different?” It is hard to imagine anyone else playing the role of the sarcastic, witty Chandler Bing. And this is our mood about him almost not being on the show:
Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe) was supposed to be good at guitar.
The producers wanted Phoebe to be the musical one of the group, so they hired someone to teach Lisa Kudrow how to play guitar. She hated it so much that she decided to quit lessons, and it was determined that Phoebe would only know a couple of chords.
Jennifer Aniston (Rachel) almost did not return for the final season.
By the end of season 9, Aniston wanted the show to be done so that they could stop while they were still “on a high” and everyone loved it. She also wasn’t sure how much Rachel Green she had left in her. Thanks to the producers and everyone who got her on board for season 10, because it wouldn’t be a great season of Friends without all six of our favorite characters.
Maggie Wheeler (Janice) almost played the role of Monica.
I think that’s all we need to say about this one.
Joey and Monica were supposed to be the main couple of the set.
No Ross and Rachel? It’s almost unimaginable thinking of this show without Chandler and Monica being together or Ross and Rachel as the main on-again, off-again couple of the series. I don’t even know how this couple would work. Monica’s OCD and Joey’s carefree attitude would definitely not blend well. Also, if this turned into reality, there would have been no “We were on a break!”
“Isn’t that just kick-you-in-the-crotch, spit-on-your-neck fantastic?” So, a big thanks to the producers who made the much-needed changes to make Friends the hit TV show that it was and still is.