Can you imagine anyone else playing Rachel Green besides Jennifer Aniston? Well, according to the Friends star, that was actually almost the case. The Just Go With It actress recently shared the surprising fact during an episode of the SiriusXM show, Gayle King in The House. Aniston revealed to host Gayle King when she auditioned for the role of Rachel that Friends director James Burrows warned her that the 1994 series she was already appearing in, Muddling Through, would get picked up for another season "just to spite this show." If the series did in fact, get picked up, it put her casting as Rachel in serious jeopardy. "Sure enough, they [the show] actually...
- 5/28/2021
- E! Online
For Jennifer Aniston, walking back onto the set of Friends after a decade for the reunion was a nostalgic and emotional experience.
“It was a sucker punch in the heart in a way,” Friends’ star Aniston told Gayle King in an interview on King’s SiriusXM show, Gayle King in The House. “We were very naive in what we were expecting. It was excitement. ‘This is going to be so fun to walk onto the set and they’re bringing all of the sets out from storage and putting it all back together.’ Every, I mean, down to the shelves and the little chotchkies details …. We romanticized it, but you also have to remember we haven’t been there. And that time was a very specific time when we were saying goodbye to something that we didn’t want to, we cared deeply about, but we knew it was the time to say goodbye.
“It was a sucker punch in the heart in a way,” Friends’ star Aniston told Gayle King in an interview on King’s SiriusXM show, Gayle King in The House. “We were very naive in what we were expecting. It was excitement. ‘This is going to be so fun to walk onto the set and they’re bringing all of the sets out from storage and putting it all back together.’ Every, I mean, down to the shelves and the little chotchkies details …. We romanticized it, but you also have to remember we haven’t been there. And that time was a very specific time when we were saying goodbye to something that we didn’t want to, we cared deeply about, but we knew it was the time to say goodbye.
- 5/28/2021
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
The thought is almost too wild to entertain, but there exists a parallel universe in which Rachel got written off — or worse, recast — in “Friends.” The New York-set sitcom that defined the 1990s and ran into the early aughts, created by Marta Kaufman and David Crane, will celebrate the 25th anniversary of its pilot episode this September. To mark the occasion, culture historian Saul Austerlitz has written a book, “Generation Friends,” detailing the history of the show, from inception to grand finale. Advance excerpts of the book obtained by EW reveal the potential casting snafu.
Apparently Aniston had already shot a few episodes of an unaired CBS sitcom titled “Muddling Through” when she was cast in “Friends.” If the series had been picked up, Aniston would have had to leave “Friends” halfway through the first season.
Here’s the relevant excerpt:
“‘Muddling Through’ had already shot a half-dozen episodes, none of which had aired,...
Apparently Aniston had already shot a few episodes of an unaired CBS sitcom titled “Muddling Through” when she was cast in “Friends.” If the series had been picked up, Aniston would have had to leave “Friends” halfway through the first season.
Here’s the relevant excerpt:
“‘Muddling Through’ had already shot a half-dozen episodes, none of which had aired,...
- 8/22/2019
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
It's hard to imagine anyone besides Jennifer Aniston playing Rachel Green on Friends.
But according to the actress, the producers were almost forced to replace her before the show even aired.
"Friends came when I was off doing Muddling Through," Aniston explained at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Friday, referencing CBS's short-lived 1994 sitcom. "So there was a period where I had to stand out of the photographs for the group shots, and I had phone calls from girlfriends saying, 'I'm auditioning for your part in Friends.' "
While Aniston, 45, had signed on for Friends, she was also already appearing on Muddling Through,...
But according to the actress, the producers were almost forced to replace her before the show even aired.
"Friends came when I was off doing Muddling Through," Aniston explained at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Friday, referencing CBS's short-lived 1994 sitcom. "So there was a period where I had to stand out of the photographs for the group shots, and I had phone calls from girlfriends saying, 'I'm auditioning for your part in Friends.' "
While Aniston, 45, had signed on for Friends, she was also already appearing on Muddling Through,...
- 1/31/2015
- by Dana Rose Falcone, @DanaRoseFalcone
- People.com - TV Watch
It's hard to imagine anyone besides Jennifer Aniston playing Rachel Green on Friends. But according to the actress, the producers were almost forced to replace her before the show even aired. "Friends came when I was off doing Muddling Through," Aniston explained at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Friday, referencing CBS's short-lived 1994 sitcom. "So there was a period where I had to stand out of the photographs for the group shots, and I had phone calls from girlfriends saying, 'I'm auditioning for your part in Friends.' " While Aniston, 45, had signed on for Friends, she was also already appearing on Muddling Through,...
- 1/31/2015
- by Dana Rose Falcone, @DanaRoseFalcone
- PEOPLE.com
It's hard to imagine anyone besides Jennifer Aniston playing Rachel Green on Friends. But according to the actress, the producers were almost forced to replace her before the show even aired. "Friends came when I was off doing Muddling Through," Aniston explained at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Friday, referencing CBS's short-lived 1994 sitcom. "So there was a period where I had to stand out of the photographs for the group shots, and I had phone calls from girlfriends saying, 'I'm auditioning for your part in Friends." While Aniston, 45, had signed on for Friends, she was also already appearing on Muddling Through,...
- 1/31/2015
- by Dana Rose Falcone, @DanaRoseFalcone
- PEOPLE.com
Jennifer Aniston certainly let the cat out of the bag during the Television Academy's An Evening Honoring James Burrows in Los Angeles earlier this week. She revealed that she was asked to sit out of cast photos for Friends in case she didn't end up playing the character Rachel Green, Us Weekly reports. According to Burrows, the hit series' director, Aniston had shot five other pilots before landing her big breakout role. Aniston was originally signed on to star in the CBS sitcom Muddling Through when she met with Burrows for an audition. "We took her in second position," he explained about hiring the 44-year-old actress. "So [when] that show was cancelled,...
- 10/9/2013
- E! Online
Teaching fans that persistence pays off, Jennifer Aniston talked recently about "Friends" being her sixth TV pilot.
During the Television Academy presents An Evening Honoring James Burrows at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences on Monday (October 7), the 44-year-old actress shared personal stories about the director of the hit show.
After Burrows explained that they were only able to snag her after her sitcom "Muddling Through" was canceled, Jen explained the confusion during prep for the show.
For the now-famous opening, she explained, "When we were shooting the first grouping of cast photos [of Friends] in front of that fountain, I was asked to step out of a bunch because they didn't know if I was going to be still playing Rachel."
In another awkward moment, Jen recounted how a man on set asked her who she was and she replied, "Well, I'm doing a bunch of pilots and this is just...
During the Television Academy presents An Evening Honoring James Burrows at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences on Monday (October 7), the 44-year-old actress shared personal stories about the director of the hit show.
After Burrows explained that they were only able to snag her after her sitcom "Muddling Through" was canceled, Jen explained the confusion during prep for the show.
For the now-famous opening, she explained, "When we were shooting the first grouping of cast photos [of Friends] in front of that fountain, I was asked to step out of a bunch because they didn't know if I was going to be still playing Rachel."
In another awkward moment, Jen recounted how a man on set asked her who she was and she replied, "Well, I'm doing a bunch of pilots and this is just...
- 10/9/2013
- GossipCenter
Because another TV pilot died, Jennifer Aniston's role on Friends got to live. During the Television Academy presents An Evening Honoring James Burrows at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences on Monday, Oct. 7, the 44-year-old actress recalled landing her breakout role as Rachel Green on the 1994 NBC sitcom Friends after shooting five other TV pilots. When Friends director Burrows had his first audition with Aniston, she was on CBS sitcom Muddling Through at the time. "We took her in second position," he explained of [...]...
- 10/8/2013
- Us Weekly
It's hard to imagine "Friends" without Jennifer Aniston, but during a recent visit to "Conan," Aniston admitted that she was almost replaced as Rachel before the show began airing.
“They actually had girls auditioning because I was double-booked on a television show," Aniston told Conan O'Brien. "I was doing another show, and then CBS picked that show up to sort of spite ‘Friends’ for three episodes.”
The show in question was CBS' "Muddling Through," which lasted only 10 episodes in 1994. According to Vulture, "'Muddling Through' was such a bomb that even though Aniston was under contract to the show, [NBC entertainment president Warren] Littlefield cast her in 'Friends' anyway, so certain was he that 'Muddling Through' would soon be cancelled." And the rest is history!
Courteney Cox was also apparently offered the part of Rachel, but wanted to play Monica instead, and Aniston was initially considered for Monica, while Matthew Perry...
“They actually had girls auditioning because I was double-booked on a television show," Aniston told Conan O'Brien. "I was doing another show, and then CBS picked that show up to sort of spite ‘Friends’ for three episodes.”
The show in question was CBS' "Muddling Through," which lasted only 10 episodes in 1994. According to Vulture, "'Muddling Through' was such a bomb that even though Aniston was under contract to the show, [NBC entertainment president Warren] Littlefield cast her in 'Friends' anyway, so certain was he that 'Muddling Through' would soon be cancelled." And the rest is history!
Courteney Cox was also apparently offered the part of Rachel, but wanted to play Monica instead, and Aniston was initially considered for Monica, while Matthew Perry...
- 8/9/2013
- by Laura Prudom
- Huffington Post
Casting actors in "second position" on pilots has been on the rise during the past few years.
The process -- in which actors in on-air series are cast in pilots -- also has become increasingly aggressive, with broadcast networks even going after actors whose shows have not yet premiered.
This pilot season, Kyle Bornheimer and Alyssa Milano, stars of ABC's upcoming comedy series "Romantically Challenged," and Tyler Labine, star of Fox's upcoming comedy series "Sons of Tucson," were pursued for pilots. After fielding several offers, Bornheimer signed on as the lead in CBS' hot comedy pilot from "How I Met Your Mother" creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas.
Overall, more than a dozen actors on existing series already have been cast in pilots this year.
Casting executive Marc Hirschfeld, who cast one of them -- "Numbers" star Rob Morrow, in ABC's drama pilot "The Whole Truth" -- is not surprised.
The process -- in which actors in on-air series are cast in pilots -- also has become increasingly aggressive, with broadcast networks even going after actors whose shows have not yet premiered.
This pilot season, Kyle Bornheimer and Alyssa Milano, stars of ABC's upcoming comedy series "Romantically Challenged," and Tyler Labine, star of Fox's upcoming comedy series "Sons of Tucson," were pursued for pilots. After fielding several offers, Bornheimer signed on as the lead in CBS' hot comedy pilot from "How I Met Your Mother" creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas.
Overall, more than a dozen actors on existing series already have been cast in pilots this year.
Casting executive Marc Hirschfeld, who cast one of them -- "Numbers" star Rob Morrow, in ABC's drama pilot "The Whole Truth" -- is not surprised.
- 3/8/2010
- by By Nellie Andreeva
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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