Lisa Kudrow, now 63 years old, had another plan in mind when she went to audition for Friends. She wanted to be Rachel Green, the ‘American Jewish princess’ who would end up making Ross fall in love. But her own agents shot down the idea before she even had a chance to try.
They explained that they didn’t see her as “romantic interest” and that, besides, no one else could replace her in the role of Phoebe. Kudrow later admitted that at that moment she didn’t even realize that Rachel would become the romantic lead of the entire series.
The role ultimately went to Jennifer Aniston, while Kudrow got Phoebe Buffay, the eccentric guitar-playing singer who earned her an Emmy in 1998. Almost three decades later, while promoting the third season of The Comeback, she recounted how a “no” from one of her agents ended up defining one of television’s most beloved characters.