Why Courteney Cox turned down the role of Rachel in Friends

When creators David Crane and Marta Kauffman started coming up with the plans for Friends back in the 1990s, casting the perfect actors to play each main character was major. And, like most shows, a handful of now-famous stars actually auditioned for roles and were turned down. Not everyone was as lucky as David Schwimmer, whose role of Ross Geller was written for him! And when it comes to the iconic part of Rachel Green, Jennifer Aniston was not the first choice.

Notable actresses such as Saved by the Bell‘s Tiffani Thiessen and 30 Rock‘s Jane Krakowski were among the women considered for the part of Rachel. And so was Friends star Courteney Cox! Before signing on as Monica Geller, Cox was actually offered the role of Rachel. And though the actress was interested in joining the show, she had another character in mind.

As reported by Mental Floss, Cox requested to the producers that she could play Monica instead of Rachel, saying that she preferred the “strong” character more. In 2017, the Scream star spoke about her decision to turn down the part, explaining on the Off Camera with Sam Jones podcast:

"“For some reason, I thought I related more to Monica, which maybe it’s because I do. I’m very similar to her … I’m not as clean as Monica, but I am neat. And I’m not as competitive, even though some people, my partner (musician) Johnny McDaid, would say I am.”"

The Friends bosses ultimately agreed that Cox would be a better fit for Monica than Rachel. And as for Jennifer Aniston‘s casting, it all came down to her audition. Now, fans of the long-running series can’t see Rachel played by anyone else or Monica played by anyone else. The sitcom and the actors who play each character are so iconic that it feels odd to imagine any of the roles portrayed by different actors.

According to Hollywood, other prominent stars were almost chosen for Friends, including Ellen DeGeneres for Phoebe, Jon Cryer for Chandler, and Hank Azaria for Joey. The show wouldn’t be the same without the cast we know and love today!