Mariska Hargitay auditioned for 'Friends!' Plus 5 other stars who were almost cast
Before she cleaned up the streets of New York with “Law & Order: SVU,” Mariska Hargitay almost set up shop at Central Perk!\
Mariska appeared on Amy Poehler’s podcast, “Good Hang with Amy Poehler,” earlier this week and revealed she’s always had a comedic edge.
“How did I end up as America's sweetheart sex cop? I should have been you!” Mariska joked with Amy.
Mariska certainly had the training, performing at The Groundlings with the likes of Kathy Griffin. And she even focused on auditioning for comedies early in her career, like “Seinfeld” and “Single Guy.”
But the biggest bombshell was that Mariska “tested for ‘Friends’ so many times” for the role of Monica, ultimately played by Courteney Cox.
We all know the classic “Friends” line up, but it could have been different if Mariska or any of these other stars had landed the role of Ross, Chandler, Joey, Rachel, Monica, or Phoebe.
TIFFANI THIESSEN
“Saved By the Bell” alum Tiffani Thiessen almost played the role of Rachel Green. But they apparently thought she was still too high school because Tiffani told Niki Glaser on her podcast, "I was just a little too young. I was a little too young to the pairing of the rest of them."
ERIC MCCORMACK
Before he became a sitcom star in his own right on “Will and Grace,” Eric McCormack auditioned for the role of Ross. "I got a couple of auditions in. I got to the studio level and I didn't make it past,” he told Access Hollywood Live in 2018.
JON CRYER
One guess as to which character Jon Cryer almost played: That’s right, Chandler Bing. But it truly wasn’t meant to be. As he explained on “The Late Late Show with James Corden” in 2015, "I had to audition the next morning with the casting director who was in the U.K. But she woke me up at 3, so I had to work on that scene from that time to about 10 a.m. I went in and I did my best and she packaged up the tape of me doing my best Chandler Bing, sent it to Los Angeles and it got stuck at customs."
VINCE VAUGHN
“Swingers” star Vince Vaughn almost said, “How you doing?” to the role of Joey Tribbiani. Casting director Ellie Kanner told the Huffington Post in 2015 that Vince was “handsome and tall” and a “good actor,” but just not quite right for the role.
KATHY GRIFFIN
Mariska Hargitay’s Groundlings pal Kathy Griffin mentioned auditioning for the role of Phoebe during a 2012 HuffPost interview, joking that’s where she met “all my other girlfriends.”
