Monica From Friends Was Initially Written For An SNL Alum

It's hard to imagine anyone else playing the characters on "Friends," even if, back in the early '90s, they were all just up-and-coming actors with no real profiles to speak of. This included Courteney Cox, who had featured in Bruce Springsteen's music video for "Dancing in the Dark" and racked up several TV show appearances in series like "Murder, She Wrote," "The Love Boat," and "Family Ties." But like every one of her co-stars, it wasn't until "Friends" that Cox truly broke through — but she almost didn't get the chance to play Monica Geller. 

"Friends" creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane initially had someone else in mind for the role: "Saturday Night Live" star Janeane Garofalo. According to Kauffman, she and Crane originally offered Courteney Cox the part of Rachel Green, which ultimately went to Jennifer Aniston. As Kauffman recalled it in Vanity Fair's oral history of the show, "[Cox] said she wanted to do Monica, not Rachel." 

This caused a slight problem for the co-creators as they had originally written the part of Monica with Janeane Garofalo in mind. "When we originally wrote the role, we had Janeane Garofalo's voice in our head," said Crane. "Darker and edgier and snarkier, and Courteney brought a whole bunch of other colors to it. We decided that, week after week, that would be a lovelier place to go to."

At the time "Friends" was being cast, Janeane Garofalo was making a name for herself as part of Los Angeles' alternative comedy scene and had landed her first major television show on the second incarnation of "The Ben Stiller Show," which arrived on Fox in 1992 and ran for 13 episodes. She also nabbed the role of talent booker Paula on "The Larry Sanders Show," which similarly debuted in 1992.

After appearing in Stiller's big-screen directorial debut, "Reality Bites," she joined the cast of "Saturday Night Live" (which, in more recent times, saw a cast exodus ahead of Season 51) for the 20th season, which ran from September 1994 to May 1995. In fact, Season 20 debuted on NBC on September 24, 1994, two days after the premiere episode of "Friends" arrived on the same network.

Garofalo ended up leaving "SNL" in March 1995, midway through the season, and has since spoken negatively of her experience. According to New York Magazine, she told friends it was "the most miserable experience of my life." Had she been cast on "Friends," she would have skipped that whole ordeal, but she otherwise went on to have a successful career.

Even after Janeane Garofalo was passed over for the role of Monica on "Friends," it seems David Crane and Marta Kauffman still weren't entirely settled on casting Courteney Cox. According to a former head of casting at NBC, Lori Openden, there was another actress in the running, and when it came to choosing between Cox and her, it actually came down to the wire. "Nancy McKeon, from 'The Facts of Life,' also read for Courteney's part," Openden told Vanity Fair. "She gave a terrific performance. Warren [Littlefield, former president of NBC Entertainment] let Marta and David make the call. They went off for a walk and came back and said Courteney."

Ever since, Cox has been best known for portraying Monica Geller and, like her castmates, has been responsible for some of the most iconic episodes of "Friends." Cox, whose show "Cougar Town" is one of the best post-"Friends" TV shows any of the cast has been involved with, has also managed to forge a solid movie career, most notably with her role as reporter Gale Weathers in the "Scream" universe.

Meanwhile, Garofalo hasn't done too badly in that respect, either, landing parts in dozens of movies including "Wet Hot American Summer," "Mystery Men," and "Ratatouille." She's also stayed busy on the small screen with roles in "The West Wing," "24," and "Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce." Still, missing out on playing Monica in "Friends" has got to sting just a little.