13 Iconic Sitcom Roles That Almost Went To A Different Actor

There are certain movies that are so well-known, so iconic, that they need no introduction. You know the ones we are talking about - The Godfather, Star Wars, The Shawshank Redemption. These movies have become a part of our culture and are referenced time and again in everyday life. They're the kind of films that people love to watch over and over again and never seem to get old.

Movies are often a form of escapism. They take us to different places and show us worlds we could never experience in our own lives. But sometimes, the scenes in these movies are so bizarre that they're hard to forget.

There are some iconic roles in sitcoms that were almost given to a different actor. For example, the role of Chandler Bing on "Friends" was originally given to Matthew Perry's friend, Jonathon Schaech. But Perry convinced the producers to give him the role because he knew he could play it better. And we're glad they did! Check out some other iconic roles that were almost played by someone else.

13 KATIE HOLMES

COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM KATIE HOLMES MIGHT HAVE PLAYED PIPER ON ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK. Series creator Jenji Kohan met with Holmes, but, Kohan says, She had other things to do. And also in the beginning, no one knew what this was. — Source

12 ED O'NEILL

COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM ED O'NEILL NEARLY DIDN'T GET CAST AS JAY PRITCHETT ON MODERN FAMILY. When I read it I thought, 'Oh boy, this is pretty good. And I called my manager and he said, 'Well, they're out to Craig т. Nelson.' They chose Nelson, but couldn't make it work financially, so O'Neill got it. — Source

11 JALEEL WHITE

COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM JALEEL WHITE NEARLY GOT A PART ON THE COSBY SHOW, IT TURNS OUT. ST S Не lost the role of Rudy --My agent had been told that they've pretty much settled on , so I went to the audition thinking I was just going on a last audition. And then, all of a sudden, this little girl walks in. — Source

10 KIERAN CULKIN

COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM THE ROLE OF COUSIN GREG IN SUCCESSION MIGHT'VE GONE TO KIERAN CULKIN. They asked me to read for Greg. I knew I was wrong... normally ... I would be like, 'OK, I'm not right for the part, I'm going to close it, I'm going to continue reading on,' but I just kind of liked the script, so I read on — Source

9 MIKE O'MALLEY

COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM MIKE O'MALLEY ALMOST ENDED UP PLAYING RON SWANSON IN PARKS AND REC. That's according to co-creator Mike Schur, who tweeted that O'Malley was very nearly cast. — Source

8 JESSE EISENBERG

COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM WE NEARLY GOT TO WATCH JESSE EISENBERG AS SAM WEIR ON FREAKS AND GEEKS. It was a really, really close-run thing, apparently - he read for the role four times. But he still ended up losing it to John Francis Daley. — Source

7 RAINN WILSON

COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM RAINN WILSON PLAYED GOB BLUTH ON ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT IN ANOTHER TIMELINE. They auditioned him for the role, and he made it to the final selection - but Will Arnett beat him out. — Source

6 PAUL GIAMATTI

COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM PAUL GIAMATTI WAS ORIGINALLY SUPPOSED TO PLAY MICHAEL SCOTT IN THE OFFICE. Well, they offered him the chance to play Scott, but he turned them down. — Source

5 TEA LEONI

COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM RACHEL ON FRIENDS WAS NEARLY PLAYED BY TEA LEONI, NOT JENNIFER ANISTON. She was actually the first choice for Rachel, but she ended up saying no and Jennifer Aniston got the role. — Source

4 STEPHEN TOBOLOWSKY

COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM STEPHEN TOBOLOWSKY NEARLY PLAYED THE TOOL TIME GUY ON HOME IMPROVEMENT. They cast him for the role but, he says, it kind of mutually went away in that they were unsure as to whether they were going to shoot Home Improvement for January or the following September. — Source

3 JERRY STILLER

COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM LARRY DAVID ORIGINALLY DIDN'T CHOOSE JERRY STILLER TO PLAY FRANK COSTANZA. They first hired another actor, John Randolph, but it wasn't working out and Randolph got fired after one episode. — Source

2 DIVINE

COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM DRAG QUEEN DIVINE WAS SUPPOSED TO PLAY UNCLE OTTO IN MARRIED WITH CHILDREN. Divine got cast, and it was a done deal - and he was going to play Otto without being in drag, which would have been very unusual for him. But Divine died just before shooting started, so everything fell through. — Source

1 ED O'NEILL

COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM TURNS OUT, ED O'NEILL VERY NEARLY GOT TED DANSON'S ROLE IN CHEERS. At that point, Sam Malone was a former football player who'd gone on to become a bar owner, so the character was kind of different - but in any case, O'Neill auditioned but didn't get the part. — Source

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