6 Actresses Who Almost Played Rachel Green on 'Friends'
NBC's Friends has been off the air since 2004, but that hasn't stopped people from watching and rewatching the much-loved sitcom. It's hard to imagine watching the show without the original six cast members in their iconic roles, but there was almost other actors filling up seats at Central Perk. Jennifer Aniston wasn't the studio's first choice to play Rachel Green. Here is a list of six actresses who almost played everyone's favorite waitress-turned-fashion savant.
1. Téa Leoni
These days you might recognize her as the lead on the CBS drama Madam Secretary, but actress Téa Leoni was one of NBC's top choices to play Rachel, according to ScreenRant. She turned down the role to do a show called The Naked Truth that was canceled after only three seasons.
2. Jane Krakowski
Jane Krakowski is best known for roles like Jenna Maroney on 30 Rock and Jacqueline White in Netflix's Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Like many actors at the time, she also auditioned for the role of Rachel Green. However, she explained to the Huffington Post that she didn't get very far in the audition process.
3. Tiffani Thiessen
Saved by the Bell alum Tiffani Thiessen is also on the list of actresses who almost played Rachel Green. According to Entertainment Weekly, Thiessen believes she didn't get the role because of her age, as she explained, “I was just a little too young. I was a little too young to the pairing of the rest of them.” She would have been the youngest of the six main cast members, with Thiessen being only 20 when Friends premiered.
4. Lisa Whelchel
The Facts of Life actress Lisa Whelchel also got a script for Friends after NBC had already shot the pilot and wanted to recast Rachel. Even though she thought the script was funny, Whelchel still turned the role down, as she explained to Oprah Winfrey in a "Where Are They Now?" segment.
5. Elizabeth Berkley
Saved by the Bell actress Elizabeth Berkley also auditioned for the role of Rachel, according to Digital Spy, but she eventually lost the role to Aniston. It's a good thing, too, because she never would have landed her role in Showgirls!
6. Courteney Cox
Could fans be any more surprised? As we previously reported, the role of Rachel Green was first offered to Courteney Cox. However, Cox was more drawn to Monica's character and despite having competition for the part, she was eventually cast in the role of her choice.