Leah Remini As Monica Geller Remini made it to the final round of auditions for Monica Geller, but the second she crossed paths with Courteney Cox in the parking lot, she knew she had lost the part, according to The U.S. Sun.
Nancy McKeon as Monica Gellar
Another Facts of Life star who was considered for one of the main roles, McKeon was actually one of the favorites for the most competitive and cleanest friend, narrowly losing out to Courteney Cox.
Casting. Monica is portrayed by American actress Courteney Cox. Crane and Kauffman had originally written the role of Monica with comedienne Janeane Garofalo in mind, because they were drawn to her "edgier and snarkier" voice. However, Garofalo turned down the offer.
Jami Gertz auditioned and was originally offered the part by an NBC executive (via Vanity Fair). However, Crane didn't think she was Rachel, and Gertz passed on the role anyway.
Matthew Perry Initially Turned Down His Role On Friends And Coached Another Actor For The Part Instead. Craig Bierko came close to taking on the role of Chandler in Friends over Matthew Perry.
The role of Rachel was originally offered to Téa Leoni, the producer's first choice, and Courteney Cox, both of whom declined, Leoni in favor of starring in the sitcom The Naked Truth, and Cox in favor of playing Rachel's best friend Monica in Friends.
In the first season of Friends, Fisher Stevens played Phoebe's (Lisa Kudrow) psychiatrist boyfriend Roger who uses his analytical powers for evil, acting like a huge jerk to all six of the titular friends.
Craig Bierko (Cinderella Man) was the first choice for Chandler but he turned it down, oddly enough to film a different pilot called Best Friends which never made it to air.
"I wish I had gotten that one. I actually auditioned for Rachel and didn't go very far." It's also been said that show creators had Jane in mind for the role of Phoebe, too! The famous funny lady was actually the producers' first choice to play quirky Phoebe Buffay, but Ellen turned the role down.
Monica (Courteney Cox)
Courteney has previously admitted to having the non-surgical treatment of dermal fillers to her cheeks. Filler plumps up skin sections as plumpness can be lost with the natural ageing process that both men and women go through.
Kathy Griffin - Phoebe
Kathy Griffin revealed during a chat with Huff Post Live that both she and Jane Lynch (who went on to play Sue Sylvester n Glee) auditioned to be Phoebe.
Joey Tribbiani
However, Hank Azaria was super keen to bag the role – so much so, that he asked to go back in after being rejected. He told GQ: 'I went and auditioned for Joey and got rejected.
The kooky character of Monica from Friends is what many people would consider to be a classic case of OCD. However, perhaps the jokes made at Monica's disorder's expense would not be so funny if the viewer could see or hear exactly what was going through her head.
The former 'Friends' star played Monica Geller in the classic sitcom, and while she was asked to audition for the role of Rachel Green - which went to Jennifer Aniston - she didn't feel like the other characters resonated, including Lisa Kudrow's alter ego.
It's hard to think of anyone else in the role of Phoebe other than Kudrow. That was also the case since the producers' first choice for Phoebe was Ellen DeGeneres, but the comedian turned down the role to star in her own NBC series.
David Schwimmer was first to be cast. He was in Chicago doing a stage adaptation of The Master and Margarita when his agent offered him the audition. He was not interested in doing television after a bad experience appearing in Monty, but changed his mind when he learned that it was an ensemble script.
Among the notable names that auditioned for Ross were Eric McCormack and Mitchell Whitfield. McCormack did multiple auditions but was later passed over, eventually landing a lead role Will & Grace. Whitfield also got far in the auditioning process until they brought Schwimmer in at the end.
Perry, 53, shares that by the end of the third season of the hit NBC sitcom, on which he played Chandler Bing, he was trying to obtain 55 Vicodin a day — otherwise he'd get “so sick.”
Stevens appeared in the thirteenth episode of the first season, The One With The Boobies, where he played Phoebe Buffay's (played by Lisa Kudrow) psychiatrist boyfriend who rubs the rest of the gang up the wrong way with his psychoanalysis.
Emily Waltham
Poor Emily. Arguably the most hated character in the show's history, Emily is Ross' romantic interest throughout seasons 4 and 5. She is an English woman who has a whirlwind romance with Ross that inspires him to become less sheltered and more impulsive.
If you turn to Google for an answer about which Friends actor is the most popular, the star who tops the search list happens to be Jennifer Aniston. The actress played the role of Rachel Green on the show. The fan-favourite character was essayed amazingly well by Aniston who also bagged an Emmy Award for the same.
Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer's bond
It turns out that Joey and Chandler are best friends in real life as well as on the television show. In 2016, LeBlanc said of Perry, "I saw him yesterday.
Jennifer Aniston and Courtney Cox are supposedly really close, but Lisa is just as much a part of their lives as Phoebe was for Monica and Rachel.
In the second episode of Friends season 9, "The One Where Emma Cries," Chandler fell asleep during an important meeting at his workplace and accidentally accepted an offer to move to Oklahoma to run a division of the company in Tulsa.