Sportskeeda
Friends has been a beloved NBC sitcom for 10 seasons, inspiring an entire generation and influencing the career trajectory of its six lead cast members.
Digital Spy
Aniston, Cox, Kudrow, LeBlanc, Perry, Perry, Schwimmer, and Aniston were the lead stars of NBC's Friends, a sitcom that celebrated the friendships between Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler and Ross.
Vulture
Courteney Cox was the first actor to be cast in the popular sitcom Friends. She originally auditioned for Rachel Green, but was attracted to the character Monica Geller due to her strong personality. The creators were planning to cast Janine Garofalo, but Courteney Cox did so well in her audition and depicted the perfect portrayal of Monica that the creators had to cast her as the now-beloved character.
Matt LeBlanc was the next one to join the sitcom, Joey Tribbiani, and went through four to five audition steps before getting the part. He had to audition with Courteney Cox as the showrunners wanted to see how the two actors would look together on-screen. Another well-known actor wanted to play the part, Hank Azaria, but due to LeBlanc's charm and charismatic nature, he got the role. Azaria was later seen playing one of the guest roles, David Jeez, in the sitcom.
Netflix
David Schwimmer was next actor to join the cast of Friends, but he was not the first to audition for the role of Ross Geller. Eric McCormick tried hard to get the role, but was unsuccessful. The creators wrote the character specifically for Schwimmer, and he initially rejected the part. However, when he met the cast, he accepted it.
Netflix
Lisa Kudrow auditioned for the role of Phoebe Buffay, which was difficult due to the complicated backstory and contrasting theme of the series. However, the resemblance of the character to one of Kudrow's college friends helped her approach the role in a perfect way, and she was so good in her audition that she booked the role immediately.
Netflix
Matthew Perry was cast as Chandler Bing on the show after initially rejecting the role. There were several actors who wanted the role, including popular actors John Cryer, Craig Bierko, and John Fabro, but none of them landed the role. Perry was the perfect Chandler Bing, making him the perfect choice.
Netflix
Jennifer Aniston joined the cast of Friends as Rachel Green, initially considered Jane Moore Sibbett, Téa Leoni, Elizabeth Berkley, Jane Krakowski, Tiffany Thiessen, and more. Aniston was chosen due to her charismatic, talented, and perfect fit for the role.
Netflix