This Iconic Friends Actor Was Originally Supposed To Star In A Different '90s Sitcom

"Friends" was an absolute powerhouse of a TV show, and the six main characters skyrocketed to fame. It now seems pretty much impossible to imagine anyone else playing Monica, Rachel, Phoebe, Ross, Chandler, and Joey. But Lisa Kudrow almost wasn't available to play the quirky, confident, and lovable Phoebe. It was because Kudrow was in the original cast of "Frasier" — she was going play Roz Doyle, the feisty, no-nonsense radio show producer opposite Frasier Crane, played by Kelsey Grammer. "Frasier" came out in 1993 and "Friends" followed the next year. So if Kudrow had been playing Roz, she couldn't have taken the role of Phoebe.

Kudrow's version of Roz didn't make it to the pilot episode; she actually didn't even get to film any scenes before she got fired. She's talked about the experience a number of times over the years, including on an episode of the podcast "SmartLess," hosted by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett. "It was devastating to get fired," Kudrow said. "It just wasn't working, I don't know."

Kudrow did have a theory as to why she had gotten the role on "Frasier," and was fired shortly afterwards. As she explained on "SmartLess": "I think they did make a casting mistake with me because I went to the network with Peri Gilpin. ... I think they were just correcting a mistake."

Peri Gilpin went on to play Roz for all 11 seasons of "Frasier." While playing Roz was the biggest role of her career, Gilpin has stayed active on stage and screen. She reprised the role of Roz in Season 2 of the "Frasier" revival. 

Gilpin has talked about the audition process for "Frasier" and how she and Lisa Kudrow were the main contenders. She told Vanity Fair in 2018, "Lisa and I went on at least five auditions together for Roz. We became fast friends because we were in the same boat, young actresses trying to get a job." Gilpin also said that once she found out that she'd be taking over the part of Roz, Kudrow called her to say, "'I want you to know this is your job. I don't want you to feel bad about it. I want you to enjoy it.'" Kudrow ended up on "Friends" within the year, and she won an Emmy for the role of Phoebe in 1998. So things worked out for both of them.

For other sitcom actors that could have been, Courteney Cox originally auditioned to play Rachel Green, a role that ended up going to Jennifer Aniston. And Leah Remini almost played Monica Geller.