FRIENDS Almost Had A Different Ross! This Actor Played Rachel’s Ex-Fiancé & Was Nearly Cast As The Lead

Before David Schwimmer was cast, FRIENDS nearly gave Ross’s role to the actor who played Rachel’s ex-fiancé. Imagine Barry shouting, “We were on a break!”

- June 24, 2025 | 6:22 PM IST

David Schwimmer Almost Said No To FRIENDS & Rachel’s Ex-Fiancé(Photo Credit –Facebook)

It’s nearly impossible to imagine FRIENDS without David Schwimmer’s neurotic charm or his iconic delivery of “We were on a break!” But in an alternate TV universe, Ross Geller could’ve been played by someone very different – Rachel’s ex-fiancé, Barry.

Mitchell Whitfield, who ended up playing the jilted dentist Barry Farber, was this close to landing Ross. Per The Guardian, Whitfield actually auditioned for both Ross and Chandler. “I went back multiple times, and then they realised Ross was the role for me,” he revealed. He was one of the final contenders, until producers decided to bring in “one more guy.”

That guy was David Schwimmer. And just like that, Whitfield went from potential lead to minor recurring character. Barry may not have won Rachel’s heart, but he almost claimed Ross’s spot in the FRIENDS gang.

How David Schwimmer, Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau & Noah Wyle Almost Changed FRIENDS Forever

But here’s the kicker: Schwimmer almost turned it down. According to Saul Austerlitz’s Generation FRIENDS, Schwimmer initially had zero interest in doing more TV. He was disillusioned after a string of failed pilots and wanted to focus on his Chicago theatre company, Lookingglass. Even though the show’s creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane wrote

Ross specifically with Schwimmer in mind, it took a push from his agent to get him to read the script.

When he finally did, things clicked. And once he signed on, the show had its Ross.

Meanwhile, ER star Noah Wyle was also in the mix. Had FRIENDS fallen through, Wyle was next in line for Ross, but he ended up sticking with ER, where he became a breakout star. Still, Wyle got his FRIENDS cameo, he popped in during Season 1 as a dreamy doctor alongside George Clooney, dating Monica and Rachel in a double date from sitcom heaven.

It wasn’t just Ross who nearly had a different face. Vince Vaughn, of The Break-Up fame, auditioned for Joey. Jon Favreau almost played Chandler. And Jane Sibbett, who stepped in as Carol, had just given birth two days before filming when she accepted the part, largely because of Schwimmer’s performance. “I knew I had to work with him,” she said.

All of it adds up to one big what-if. But it also proves just how fragile casting can be, even for a series as iconic as FRIENDS. One different call, and we could’ve been watching a show starring Barry, not Ross. Thank the sitcom gods it didn’t go that way.