Jessica Hecht recalls almost securing major lead role in ‘Friends’

Jessica Hecht revealed the role she was originally supposed to play in Friends before we landed to perform Susan.

The Three-Tony award winner starred in hit 90s sitcom for a dozens of episode as partner of Ross Geller’s (David Schwimmer) ex-wife Carol.

While speaking with Parade, Hecht shared that she initially gave the audition for Monica Geller.

Recalling how she got the role, Hecht shared that she knew the casting director, Ellie Kanner, from her high school.

"I was out in Los Angeles, and my agent said, 'Oh, I sent your picture into this casting director for Friends. There’s one part, they’re not sure if the actor will take. They want to still 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 explained.

However, the role was eventually given to Courteney Cox as Hecht told the outlet she thought of herself as a "a total backup."

"If you’re at the very beginning, you don’t know what it’s going to be. So you’re just there trying to help them figure out what the show is. And you don’t feel the weight of its history, because it has no history," Hecht added.

Outside of Friends, Hecht has found success on Broadway. She was nominated for best leading actress in a play for her role in Eureka Day at the Tony Awards in June