After Courteney Cox auditioned for "Friends", the young actress initially received an offer to play Rachel, the iconic role that eventually went to Jennifer Aniston. Aniston and Cox went on to become good friends and even once dated the same guy.

Cox explained that the Rachel character didn't quite resonate with her but she also felt more drawn to Monica from the get-go. On the podcast, "Off Camera with Sam Jones" podcast, Cox shared how she thought herself better suited to play Monica even before the show began. "For some reason, I thought I related more to Monica, which maybe it's because I do," said Cox.

Though she felt more like a Monica on the inside and shared some similarities, there were some small aspects of the character that she didn't necessarily embody. "I'm very similar to her ... I'm not as clean as Monica, but I am neat," Cox said. "And I'm not as competitive, even though some people, (like) my partner, Johnny McDaid, would say I am."