The Central 'Friends' Role Hank Azaria Auditioned for Twice Before Landing Part of David

It's hard to imagine anyone other than Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani on Friends, but once upon a time before "How you doin'?" history, Hank Azaria thought he could totally play the part.

And he didn't just audition once. As reported by The Huffington Post, the actor thought he was so perfect for the role, he tried for it twice. Azaria reflected on the fail to the publication back in 2014, explaining, "That’s the only job I ever auditioned for twice. I thought it was so good — they had rejected me once — I said, ‘I’m going back, I’m gonna do it again, I’m gonna try it again.'" But alas, it was just not meant to be.

Azaria was actually salty about the decision for a little while, recalling, "At first, in my opinion, in the first few episodes of ‘Friends’ he hadn’t really found it. And all that first season I was like, ‘I could’ve been funnier than him!'" Gradually, however, he got on board with LeBlanc, the undeniable Joey, saying that the actor "really found himself in that role."

And it's a good thing he came around. As fate would have it, there was a place for Azaria on the iconic series. He went on to guest star as David, the object of Phoebe’s affection, forever holding a place in Friends fans hearts, even if only as a small part.