TV Star Claims She Almost Was Monica On ‘Friends’ But Didn’t For One Reason

Jessica Hecht is a successful actress who has starred in movies and shows such as Breaking Bad, Anarchy TV, and Friends. One of her most notable roles is in Friends. Hecht recently mentioned the hit show and added more context behind it.

Hecht played a notable role as Susan, the partner of Ross’s ex-wife, Carol. However, it’s been revealed recently that she originally auditioned for Monica but was turned down.

Hecht gave an exclusive interview with Parade, detailing her time and experience filming the sitcom. She stated that she knew the casting director from high school.

“I knew the casting director from high school, I was out in Los Angeles, and my agent just said, ‘Oh, I sent your picture to this casting director for ‘Friends’. There’s one part they’re not sure if the actor will take. They still want to look at some other actors, and I think she knows you from high school.’ So I went in, mostly excited to see Ellie Kanner, and then they started to read me for Monica,” She told the news outlet.

However, Courteney Cox was ultimately selected to play Monica, who was a chef in the show. Even though Hecht said that Cox was “perfect” for Monica, she speculated on why she didn’t get the role.

“I think looking at me back then, I’m tall and I just had a bigger size than the rest. I would’ve been more of a Lisa just physically and energetically,” she said.

Despite her not getting the role, Hecht was still successful at landing a gig on Friends. Instead of playing Monica as she had hoped, she ended up playing Susan, who was present in 13 series episodes. Due to this, she wasn’t happy with how her character turned out or how it developed.

“They couldn’t just figure out how to make Susan work. Because they — well, it’s terrible. But they just wanted a lesbian that didn’t look exactly like lesbians had previously, let’s be honest,” she told Parade.

Hecht believed that she had “more creativity” and a greater sense of “trusting her gut.”

Despite not appearing on that many episodes of Friends, Hecht was still ultimately successful. She appeared in other media, such as Broadway, and participated in 10 productions. She recently received nominations for a Tony Award for her role in Eureka Day (2025).

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