It's nearly impossible to envision anyone other than Jennifer Aniston portraying Rachel Green on 'Friends.'
However, the reality is that the iconic NBC series came dangerously close to featuring a different Rachel Green.
In 1994, 'Friends' creators David Crane and Marta Kauffman had Jennifer Aniston in mind for the role of Rachel. There was just one snag – the actress was already involved in another project: 'Muddling Through.' Aniston faced a dilemma, uncertain whether the comedy would soar or flop. She decided to prepare for the NBC series as a backup plan since 'Muddling Through' was set to premiere in July, and 'Friends' was scheduled for September. But what measures did the creators take to ensure Aniston's presence in the series?
Preston Backman, the NBC channel programmer at the time, shared the solution in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. He recalled, "She was on a sitcom on CBS, 'Muddling Through,' and they had produced six episodes. We found out they were planning to air the show on Saturday nights while we were meeting. I remember Warren Littlefield looked at me and said, 'Oh! Kill that series!' And that's what I did."
He further explained, "The first week or two that 'Muddling' aired, I scheduled Danielle Steel movies against the show. We wanted to make sure they weren't ordering more episodes just to be creepy." The outcome was that 'Muddling Through' received low ratings from the very first episode, primarily because the American audience was fixated on Danielle Steel's romance series. Aniston swiftly realized that her character, Madeline Drego, didn't have a future, so she transitioned from one project to the next, ultimately landing the role of Rachel Green.
Initially, NBC had considered offering the role of Rachel to Téa Leoni, but she opted for 'The Truth.' Aniston secured the role over actresses like Elizabeth Berkley ('Showgirls'), Denise Richards ('Wild Games'), Nicollette Sheridan ('Desperate Housewives'), and even Courteney Cox, who eventually portrayed Monica Geller.
As if that weren't enough, in the same year, Aniston was presented with an opportunity to join the 'Saturday Night Live' cast, but she chose to pursue a career in television. Adam Sandler, then a member of the legendary comedy show, advised her against the decision, but her one-million-dollar-per-episode contract for the final two seasons of 'Friends' proved she had made the right choice.
