Friends Watch Party Recaps (Season 1): Casting & Meteoric Rise | EPISODE 1

Matt LeBlanc

Much like Joey, Matt LeBlanc was a struggling actor when he landed the role that changed everything. He barely had any professional credits, just under $11 to his name, and was getting pretty desperate. He auditioned multiple times, even did a chemistry read with Courteney Cox. Not to mention his memories of the network test sure sound…. interesting.

According to the showrunners, they saw plenty of actors who made for believable Joeys, but no one made him funny the way LeBlanc did. Apparently, he beat out actors like Hank Azaria, Vince Vaughn, and Louis Mandylor, who actually still got to play the role at one point…kinda. LeBlanc also shared that before his audition, a friend suggested they go calm his nerves with a drink or several. They did… and ended up injuring his face. He showed up with a giant scab, and they loved it. Classic Joey.

David Schwimmer

Schwimmer had a less conventional path to “Friends” than the rest of the gang. Before the show, he’d auditioned for a pilot called “Couples,” also written by David Crane and Marta Kauffman. He didn’t land that part, but he definitely left an impression. When it came time to cast Ross, they actually wrote the role with his voice in mind.

There was just one problem: Schwimmer had pretty much sworn off TV after a bad experience and was focused on theater. Even though the role was his, no audition needed, he still needed a little more convincing. While he wavered, they saw Noah Wyle, Eric McCormack, and even Mitchell Whitfield. (Dr. Barry Farber to the fans). Apparently, it was Burrow who ultimately urged Schwimmer not to throw away this shot. As we now know, the showrunners were spot on in their vision; unlike a certain pair of leather pants, this was a perfect fit.

Matthew Perry

Like Schwimmer, Perry was already on the showrunners’ radar. They’d worked with him before on the sitcom “Dream On.” And no matter how many actors they saw, no one brought Chandler to life quite like Perry. Side note: he even helped out a few friends who were auditioning for the role.

At the time, Perry was out of money and desperate for work. His business manager called to break the news: it was time to get a job, fast. So he signed on to a sci-fi comedy pilot called “LAX 2194,” about futuristic baggage handlers and aliens. Yes, really. Thankfully, the network knew it was going nowhere and let NBC know he’d be available. If not, Chandler might’ve gone to Jon Cryer, Craig Bierko, or Jon Favreau.

Anyway, once he became available, in just under a week, he went from the audition room to the set. Once again, the creative team showed that their first instincts couldn’t BE more spot on, casting Perry turned out to be, what’s the word we’re looking for? Oh yes, perfection.

Lisa Kudrow

You know how they say it’s about who you know? Well, that was kind of the case with Lisa Kudrow’s journey to becoming Phoebe Buffay. At the time, she was playing Ursula on “Mad About You,” where David Crane’s partner, Jeffrey Klarik, was a writer and co-producer. To him, something about Ursula just felt like a gateway to Phoebe, almost like they could’ve been twins or something.

But auditioning was arguably more daunting for Kudrow than it was for the others. She’d been cast as Roz on Frasier, but didn’t make it past the pilot. Now, she was auditioning for the same guy who didn’t think she was right back then. And apparently, she was the only one who had to audition for Burrows, too. So when he simply said, “No notes,” she wasn’t sure if that was good… or not.

While it could’ve been Ellen DeGeneres, Kathy Griffin, Jane Lynch, or Megan Mullally singing about sticky shoes, farm animals, and cats with hygiene problems, Burrows knew no one was as in tune with Phoebe and all her quirky glory as Lisa Kudrow.

Courteney Cox

Out of all the “Friends,” Courteney Cox was the most established actor going in, but not so famous that she overshadowed the rest of the cast. She’d done a few films, some TV movies, had a recurring role on “Family Ties,” and of course, most people knew her as the young woman from Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark” music video.

Originally, the showrunners wanted her to audition for Rachel. But Cox just knew she and Monica were kindred spirits. Turning that down was a gamble. They didn’t exactly say, “Welcome aboard, Monica Geller!” right away. The role could’ve gone to Janeane Garofalo, who was reportedly their plan A, or even Leah Remini or Nancy McKeon.

But once they saw Cox as Monica, Kauffman and Crane quickly realized she was right. As Crane put it, she brought “a whole bunch of other colors” to the part, and as Kauffman added, she had a maternal quality, which really is at the core of who Monica is. Needless to say, they made the right call.

Jennifer Aniston

Apparently, Rachel was the toughest role to cast and the one that took the longest. In the wrong hands, she could’ve come off as totally unlikable. The casting team saw tons of actors who just didn’t feel right… until Jennifer Aniston walked in. She’d actually been considered for Monica at first, but there was a whole other problem.

Like Perry, she was already attached to another show called “Muddling Through.” But unlike Perry, they were already a few episodes in. Still, the “Friends” team didn’t back down. They actually approached CBS to try and poach her and decided to roll the dice by hiring her anyway. They easily could’ve just gone with Tiffani Thiessen, Jane Krakowski, or, reportedly, their first choice, Téa Leoni instead, but Aniston just had everything they knew they wanted.

NBC was also a bit sneaky, deciding this was the time to strategically release some previously unseen TV adaptations of Danielle Steele novels in an attempt to tank the competition. The actress also took a big swing, asking to be released from her first contract, with one producer warning her “Friends” wouldn’t do anything for her career. Not only did she go from audition to casting in basically a day, but it’s not like she’s been “Muddling Through” since. So, who’s laughing now?

Turns out, Burrows was right. The cast went from mostly unknown actors to household names almost overnight. Courteney Cox called the experience “lightning in a bottle,” and from day one on set, she knew they had something special. And of course, she wasn’t the only one.

They weren’t just close on camera, which probably explains why their friendship felt so real. Cox, who’d guest-starred on “Seinfeld,” had seen how supportive that cast was with each other and encouraged her new co-stars to follow their example and work as a real ensemble, and clearly it worked!

What made their rise feel so novel was that they got famous together. There wasn’t one outlier breakout star. They all rose at the same time. And it wasn’t just a creative choice, it was a professional one too. They famously negotiated their contracts as a group, making sure everyone earned the same and eventually pulling in $1 million each by the final season.

Their fame went beyond TV. The hairstyles, the fashion, the catchphrases all became part of pop culture. For ten seasons, they were a friendly face, a familiar one, the ones who saw us through those growing pains where it often felt like it wasn’t your day, your week, your month, or even your year.

Over the decade, their faces were on magazine covers, talk shows, billboards, you name it, they were there. Between them, they racked up 256 award nominations and 65 wins. The finale was practically a cultural event, pulling in 52.5 million viewers, beating “Seinfeld’s” record-making moment.

But more than anything, fans felt like they’d made six new friends. Friends who didn’t just stick with them for 10 seasons, but who would always be there for us when we needed them.

Now that we've revisited their incredible journey, what's your favorite part of the “Friends” story? Let us know in the comments