6 Actors Who Could’ve Played Our Favorite Characters on “Friends”

Friends had us glued to our TV screens for years and people never stopped rocking that famous haircut known as “The Rachel” thanks to the character played by Jennifer Aniston. The main characters on Friends were incredibly memorable, and it’s a big reason why the show became a massive hit. But the show may not have been as successful if its characters were played by a different cast of actors. On that note, there are some famous actors who actually auditioned to play certain roles on Friends but ended up not being selected.

We at Bright Side learned about the actors who could’ve played some of the popular characters on Friends.

1. Rachel Green — Jane Krakowski

According to Krakowski, she auditioned for the role of Rachel Green, but little came out of it. Jane mentioned that she didn’t go very far in the audition process.

2. Joey Tribbiani — Vince Vaughn

Vince Vaughn auditioned for the role of Joey Tribbiani but lost it to Matt Le Blanc because the casting director thought he wouldn’t have played the role better than Matt.

3. Monica Geller — Nancy McKeon

Nancy McKeon was almost cast for the role of Monica Geller but lost it to Courteney Cox. NBC directors decided to cast Courteney for the role instead of Nancy.

4. Ross Geller — Eric McCormack

Eric McCormack auditioned to play the role of Ross Geller but wasn’t selected because the character was actually written with David Schwimmer in mind.

5. Phoebe Buffay — Kathy Griffin

Kathy Griffin, like many other actors, auditioned for the role of Phoebe. But she didn’t make it because Lisa Kudrow was ultimately selected for the role.

6. Chandler Bing — Craig Bierko

Craig Bierko actually trained for the role of Chandler Bing, but he wasn’t selected. According to NBC’s former president, Littlefield, Craig wasn’t selected for the role because he seemed like a guy who was holding onto a lot of anger underneath the surface.

In your honest opinion, do you think any of these actors suit the roles better than the actual cast? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.