The one with a different Rachel Greene. Tiffani Thiessen revealed that she auditioned for the coveted role that ultimately went to Jennifer Aniston during an interview on SiriusXM’s You Up With Nikki Glaser on Monday, October 1.
“Did you know I tested for Friends, for Jennifer Aniston?” the 44-year-old Pull Up a Chair author dished to the comedian, 34. “I was just a little too young. I was a little too young to the pairing of the rest of them.”
Thiessen — who was a mere 20 years old when she tried out for Friends— was already well known for her Saved by the Bell character, Kelly Kapowski, at the time of her audition. Despite losing the part to Aniston, now 49, Thiessen quickly moved on, landing a role on Beverly Hills, 90210.
Thiessen starred as Kapowski in the NBC teen sitcom from 1989 to 1994, and as Valerie Malone in the Fox show from 1994 to 1998.
The White Collar actress isn’t the only celebrity who was unable to snag a role on Friends. Aniston’s estranged husband, Justin Theroux, opened up in 2017 and dished on skipping his audition for the beloved show.
“I didn’t bother. I slept in that day,” he said during an interview with Mr. Porter magazine. “I wouldn’t have been prepared for [the fame].”
Jane Krakowski also revealed that she, too, wanted the role of Rachel Green. “I, like almost every actor in the world, auditioned for Friends,” the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt star said at the 2015 Emmy Awards. “I wish I had gotten that one. I actually auditioned for Rachel and didn’t go very far.”
Other famous faces who auditioned for the show include Ellen DeGeneres, Leah Remini, Jon Cryer, Jane Lynch, Eric McCormack and more. Friends ran for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004.
