Rewatching early seasons of classic TV shows usually brings a dose of nostalgia, but Friends fans might spot a surprising detail hidden right in plain sight.
Long before the series settled into its familiar groove, a memorable character made their screen debut, played by an entirely different actor. Their role was quietly recast immediately after that first appearance.
According to The Daily Express, the first time Friends viewers actually saw the character of Carol was in the episode, “The One Where Underdog Gets Away.” The actor playing the role? Anita Barone.
Barone was the first actress to play Ross Gellar’s (David Schwimmer) wife, Carol Willick. The character divorced Ross and eventually married Susan Bunch (Jessica Hecht).
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According to Express, Willick chose to exit the series early on to pursue more substantial roles rather than a recurring supporting part. Coming so early in the show’s run, she had no way of knowing that Friends was about to evolve into a massive, global cultural juggernaut.
The role was quietly recast with Jane Sibbett taking over. She would play Carol through the end of season seven in 2001.
Screen Rant reported that Barone had initially auditioned for one of the show’s three female leads, roles that eventually went to Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, and Lisa Kudrow. Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc, and Matthew Perry rounded out the cast.
Ironically, Sibbett also auditioned for one of the show’ female leads. She was offered the role of Rachel, the actress told News.com.au.
“I actually was up for another character. They wanted me to be one of the main six,” Sibbett revealed. “It was actually Rachel but I usually don’t tell people that because Jen; there’s no one who could’ve done it like Jen.”
However, Sibbett was pregnant at the time, and worried that would impact her casting. She admitted, “I asked them (agents) if they’d told the producers I was pregnant (at the time) and they said, ‘Oh no, we thought we’d tell them later.’ And I said, ‘No, you’ve got to tell them now.’”
“So obviously they (producers) said it wouldn’t work out. However, I have no regrets, my goodness, there’s no way anybody could have come close to what Jennifer Aniston did with Rachel. She was so perfect.”
Barone would go on to play Jeff Foxworthy‘s wife, Karen, during Season 1 of The Jeff Foxworthy Show on ABC. However, when the series moved to NBC for Season 2, the role was recast with Ann Cusack.
Jane Sibbett went on to make the role of Carol Willick an unforgettable piece of Friends history, and Anita Barone’s brief stint remains a fascinating “what if” for television buffs. Though Barone missed out on the historic decade-long run of Friends, her single-episode appearance lives on as one of the ultimate hidden trivia facts in sitcom history.
Related: Matthew Perry Would Have Turned 57 Today — Revisiting His Best Chandler Bing Moments on ‘Friends’
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