Jennifer Aniston’s remarkable acting prowess shines through her iconic role as Rachel Green in Friends, where she showcased an incredible range of emotions and character development over the show’s ten-year run. From her comedic timing to her dramatic moments, Aniston’s versatility in portraying the lovable fashionista audiences worldwide intrigued. Not only did Jennifer Aniston intrigue audiences, but Hollywood in all its entirety. Especially NCIS creators.

While it does not come as a surprise that she was considered for the lead role, the shocker came with the revelation of who was considered to star alongside her as NCIS celebrates its 20th anniversary.

The one with Jennifer Aniston starring in NCIS alongside an American icon

The actors and characters of NCIS have transcended television to become iconic figures in the entertainment industry owing to the show’s top-notch plot and the cast’s phenomenal performances. However, the creators were hoping to cast some well-known names to play the titular characters of Leroy Gibbs and Abby Scioto. In fact, they were eyeing none other than American icon, Indiana Jones actor, Harrison Ford himself.

Looking back at the foundation stones of the now-hit crime show, Executive Producer, Charles Floyd Johnson,  told The Hollywood Reporter, that  “Harrison Ford was a name that everybody thought about for [Leroy Jethro] Gibbs.” While it is almost unimaginable to picture anyone other than Mark Harmon playing the role now, one look at the Indiana Jones poster makes it clear why the makers had him in mind.

A crime series with Harrison Ford and Jennifer Aniston at the helm of affairs would have been unfair to other television shows at that time. Moreover, while the creators only refer to Anniston in passing she was actually way closer to the role of Abby Sciuto than Ford ever was to Gibbs.

Why did Aniston not star in NCIS?

While NCIS has gone on to do spectacularly for itself, confessions such as a possible Jennifer Aniston and Harrison Ford casting always make fans wonder about the possibilities. However, the possibilities were close to none for Anniston who was almost at the end of filming her magnum opus, Friends. Almost being the keyword. NCIS is another addition to the list of shows the actress skipped out on because of Friends.

The makers wanted to start filming for NCIS when Jennifer Aniston had yet to wrap up her schedule for Friends. As tempting as the opportunity was, waiting for the actress would have meant a year-long delay in the crime show’s schedule. While the stars may not have aligned for the 54-year-old actress to star in a crime show then, she did get to be a part of one of the best crime projects of this decade with Murder Mystery.

Would you have preferred for Jennifer Aniston and Harrison Ford to be the leads of NCIS? Let us know in the comments below.