Huge 80s Action Star Turned Down a Role on Friends to Save Her Marriage
Being one of the most popular television shows of all time, Friends is the kind of show that needs no introduction. Naturally, we may think any actor would be lucky to land a role in a megahit sitcom like Friends, right?
Well, that's not always the case for everyone, believe it or not. Sometimes, actors have to sacrifice huge opportunities for the sake of something else that's important to them, too. And you'll never guess which huge 80s action star turned down a role on Friends to save her marriage!
During the casting process, many talented actors and actresses were considered for the lead roles in the hit series.
Tea Leoni tried out for the role of Rachel, Eric McCormack could've been Ross and the character of Monica was actually written with Janeane Garofalo in mind. But while most of them would've jumped at the chance to land a role in the sitcom, it turns out Patsy Kensit had to turn one down.
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Patsy Kensit was propelled to success in the 1980s with breakthrough roles in movies such as Lethal Weapon 2 and Absolute Beginners. Apart from acting, she also made headlines with her achievements as a singer and romantic relationships with other celebs like Liam Gallagher and Jim Kerr.
However, not many people know that she was offered the role of Emily – the woman Ross became engaged to after his split with Rachel in Season 4 (and whom he accidentally called Rachel at the altar, but we're not getting into that today). This role could've brought her even more recognition for her acting, no doubt. But she had to turn it down so that she could preserve her and Gallagher's turbulent marriage, which was surrounded by rumors of Gallagher's infidelity at the time.
"Friends was an offer you didn't pass up," she shared in an interview with the Daily Mirror (via Belfast Telegraph). "But I couldn't commit to it. I knew I needed to be at home if my relationship with Liam was going to survive," she said.
She also added that she was madly in love and decided to choose her marriage over the job. Unfortunately, Kensit and Gallagher did end up getting divorced in 2000.
And years later, when speaking to OK! magazine about her career, the English actress revealed that even though she didn't have any regrets, she said, "I should've said no at times and then I said no to the right jobs, such as taking the part of Emily in Friends."