In 1994, the world saw a sitcom that was going to change the lives of the actors as well as its viewers. Friends, since the beginning, became a fan-favorite show and continues to be one. Stars like Matthew Perry, Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, and Courteney Cox received global fame along with awards for their respective performances. Fans still refer to their characters and use their catchphrases in their daily lives, too.

Before becoming this big sensation, the showmakers struggled to find the perfect cast as well. And while looking to cast the perfect actor for Chandler Bing, there was one actor who was considered first, however he denied the same. But who was he?

Who almost replaced Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing in Friends?

The 54-year-old actor has been open about how he trained his friend, Craig Bierko for the role of Chandler Bing in his memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Things. However, the showmakers already had someone in their minds for that role and it was Jon Favreau. As Vulture reported in 2011, Favreau was working on another project, Swingers, as a writer. Therefore, the Iron Man director declined to be on the NBC sitcom and continued working on Swingers.

Swingers was a breakthrough for many actors and crew. Had Jon Favreau been on Friends, it would not have been the case. The only reason was being on the ’90s sitcom was a full-time job for 10 consecutive years. So, because of the filming schedule clashes, the I Love You, Man actor, had to let go of Chandler. But if you are a fan of the show, you would have noticed the actor’s presence as another memorable character.

The Chef star returned to the show as a guest star in season 3. He came back as Pete Becker, Monica’s millionaire boyfriend who competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). His obsession with the UFC led him to part ways with Monica, which worked out for Chandler later in the show. But despite getting the iconic role of Chandler Bing, the 17 Again actor revealed he never watched himself on the screen.

The American actor was too embarrassed to watch himself on the screen

Matthew Perry has had a long battle with alcoholism and drug abuse. In his memoir, he has taken fans on his heart-wrenching journey where he opened up about how he survived working in Friends. In an interview with Tom Power, he revealed he was too embarrassed to witness the physical change throughout the series. Because of his addiction, his body kept on changing.

Moreover, he was able to tell which drug he was using with each season. Therefore, it was too hard for him to revisit the overwhelming phase of his life. Fortunately, the actor got help and is now living a healthy life. Although Perry did not watch the show, he gave the world one of the nicest characters of all time who could be compared with Ted Mosby from another famous American sitcom.

Do you think Jon Favreau could pull Chandler Bing off? How do you think the character would have been different had the Iron Man director played the part? Tell us in the comments below.