Did Kristin Davis Almost Play This Iconic Role?
When it comes to the women who played the four female leads in HBO's "Sex and the City," it's hard not to think of how perfectly Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis, and Kim Cattrall were cast as Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha respectively. Though only three of the four have returned for the now-streaming "SATC" reboot "And Just Like That...," Cattrall's absence has been a point of contention for critics, many of whom have pointed to it as a cause for the new show's uneven tone, including The New York Times. So it's no surprise if you, dear reader, "couldn't help but wonder," a la Carrie Bradshaw: What would have happened if one of the four hadn't been cast in the first "Sex in the City" at all?
Well, according to at least one "SATC" star, that possibility could have, at one time, easily become a concrete reality. During a December 16 appearance on "The Late Late Show with James Corden" (via E! Online), Davis divulged that she had come incredibly close to nabbing a role for another much beloved classic sitcom. So, what was the role? Or the show? And how does Davis feel about it today?
Kristin Davis was almost cast as Monica on Friends
As Kristin Davis told James Corden, via E! Online, the actor best known to audiences as Charlotte York auditioned for the role of Monica Gellar on "Friends" in the 1990s. Though, according to her account, her chances of getting the role at the time weren't all that great. "I think I was about one of like 8,000 young ladies who read for Monica," Davis said. But in an odd twist of fate, Davis was already friends with the person who did nab the part: Courteney Cox.
As E! noted, Cox and Davis were friends from yoga class and Davis found out Cox had been cast as Monica while accompanying Cox on a shopping trip for a new car. Davis recounted that Cox was specifically looking for a Porsche. After finishing up filming the pilot for "Friends," Cox told Davis she had a "really good feeling about" the future of the series — hence the hunt for a luxury car.
Years later, the connection would, in a way, pay off. During the seventh season of "Friends," Davis made a guest appearance on the sitcom. Davis reflected on how the show's live-studio aspect differed greatly from her "Sex and the City" shoots, telling Corden: "I remember losing sleep ... Partly because of the live audience, but partly because you're in this world that has been created that is so alive and so specific." Looks like everything worked out for the best in the end.