The Ultimate Friends Reboot: Who Should Play Ross, Rachel, Monica, and the Rest?

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The hit ’90s sitcom Friends is undoubtedly one of the most beloved television shows of all time. Almost 30 years after it premiered and almost 20 years since it ended, people still cannot get enough of this show or its lovable characters. Friends has had such an impact on pop culture over the years that even if you have never seen a single episode, you certainly know the characters. They are some of the most recognizable characters ever put on screen. They have unbelievable chemistry as a group, and they never fail to make the audience laugh. Put on a random episode of Friends from any season, and you will find yourself laughing just as hard as you did the first time you watched it. This show could be watched out of order and still be uproariously funny because the cast always lands their jokes and never misses a beat. The comedic timing of this cast is perfectly synched and never seems forced.

Besides the fact that the characters themselves are each individually hilarious in their own ways, part of the reason that these characters are so well-liked is because of the group of actors who played them. Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox, David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and Matthew Perry perfected these characters to the point that it’s nearly impossible to envision anyone else as the titular friends. Even the recurring characters are so well cast that it’s difficult to imagine them as anyone else. From start to finish, Friends was excellent because of these well-written characters. The thought of a reboot almost seems ridiculous considering how iconic the show still is and how incredible the cast was. However, if it were to happen, here are some choices for who should play the cast of Friends in a reboot.

Phoebe Buffay – Jenna Ortega

Scream queen Jenna Ortega has already proven herself a worthy actress at just 20 years old. She’s one of the new faces of the Scream franchise, starred in Ti West’s acclaimed slasher X, co-starred with Penn Badgley in season 2 of You, and wowed viewers as Wednesday Adams on Wednesday. She has shown that she can be quirky just like Phoebe and has also showcased acting chops that range from serious to comedic. Phoebe also frequently adopted different personas and names throughout the series, most notably Regina Phalange, and Ortega could easily switch back and forth between Phoebe’s eccentric characters.

Joey Tribbiani – Timothée Chalamet

Another young actor who has proven to the world that he has a vast acting range, Timothée Chalamet would be a great choice for a modern iteration of beloved Joey Tribbiani. Joey is a goofball with a heart of gold that requires an actor who can portray those characteristics while also nailing Joey’s signature charm. Chalamet has focused more on dramatic roles in his career, but he has also displayed his comedic chops in movies such as Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird and Adam McKay’s Don’t Look Up. He could pull off Joey’s suave charisma while also making an audience laugh at his antics.

Ross Gellar – Justice Smith

Ross Gellar needs to be a combination of funny, nerdy, and slightly self-centered. He’s enough of a nerd to be a paleontologist but funny enough to make an audience genuinely laugh. Ross is also a character who is more often than not unaware of how his personality can come across as selfish, so his character needs an actor who can portray that character trait subtly.

Justice Smith would perfectly embody Ross’ dorky tendencies that usually caused his friends (and the audience) to laugh at him. Smith has already played geeky, intelligent characters in some of his movie roles. He played system analyst Franklin Webb in the Jurassic World movies, a social outcast in All the Bright Places, and he is currently in the new Dungeons and Dragons movie. He’s a good-looking guy who can definitely pass as an overbearing nerd.

Chandler Bing – Joe Keery

Most known for playing everyone’s favorite babysitter Steve “The Hair” Harrington on Netflix’s mega-hit Stranger Things, Joe Keery would actually be a perfect fit to play everyone’s favorite jokester, Chandler Bing. Steve starts out as the popular boyfriend of Nancy Wheeler (Natatlia Dyer) at the beginning of the show, but after season one proves himself to be much more than a pretty jock. Not only does he become the kids’ primary caretaker, but he is also way funnier than people give him credit for. Joe Keery plays Steve with just the right amount of humor and seriousness that Chandler would need as the group’s main funny man.

Chandler is especially caring and protective of Monica, and Keery has shown he is capable of balancing that while playing Steve. Keery also starred as Keys alongside Ryan Reynolds and Jodi Comer in Free Guy, where he played a more insecure character that would also align with some of Chandler’s insecurities on the show.

Monica Geller – Zendaya

Time and time again, Zendaya has shown the world that she can nail any role you give her. She can play a teenager struggling with severe addiction and depression, a warrior on a desert planet, a young woman in a tumultuous relationship, the intelligent and outspoken girlfriend of the world’s most famous web-slinging superhero, and much more. She is a two-time Emmy winner that could undoubtedly become an Oscar winner one day.

Who better to play the compulsive, ultra-competitive Monica Geller than the endlessly talented Zendaya? She got her start on a Disney Channel sitcom, so she is no stranger to the exaggerated comedic styles that a sitcom requires. She can pull off energetic, curious characters with ease. She can effortlessly charm an audience. If anyone can manage to compete with Courtney Cox’s iconic portrayal of one of television’s most loved characters, it’s Zendaya.

Rachel Green – Sydney Sweeney

Much like her aforementioned Euphoria co-star, Sydney Sweeney is another actress that has demonstrated an ability to play a wide array of characters. Her work as Cassie on Euphoria and as Olivia on The White Lotus has earned her two Emmy nominations and her acting during Cassie’s breakdown in season two alone is award-worthy. Sweeney would be a near-perfect match to play Rachel Green if a reboot were to ever happen.

Rachel is smart, sophisticated, fashion-forward, and undeniably hilarious. Sweeney has already portrayed these characteristics in previous roles of hers, and she could most certainly combine these traits to create a modern-day Rachel Green. She’ll also be starring in the upcoming romcom Anyone But You later this year, so if she could perfect the comedic timing that Jennifer Aniston had as Rachel, she could easily take on this character.

Janice – Aubrey Plaza

In a show full of iconic recurring characters, Janice (Maggie Wheeler) is perhaps the most iconic of them all. She has a distinctively nasally voice that anyone could recognize a mile away and an obsession with Chandler that would rival Ross’ constant attempts to win back Rachel. She’s needy and obnoxiously loud, but also a caring person who truly wants to love Chandler.

There is quite possibly no better person to take on that role than the infectiously funny Aubrey Plaza. She was obviously a major source of laughter as April Ludgate in Parks and Recreation, but she has also successfully used physical comedy in Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, portrayed a stalker in Ingrid Goes West, and displayed unhinged rage in Emily the Criminal. She could probably play this role in her sleep.

Carol – Brie Larson

Despite the unwarranted hate that she receives online, Brie Larson is a talented, Oscar-winning actress with a long list of different roles she effortlessly portrayed. From a traumatized single mother trapped in a concrete room to a powerful superhero from space, Larson can play any role you give her. Ross’ first ex-wife, Carol, would be a role that Larson could do with ease. Carol is calm as she guides Ross through parenthood and his personal feelings toward Carol’s love life, but she also takes no nonsense from him. Larson would absolutely be able to convey personality while also adding some of her own charisma to the character.

Susan – Tessa Thompson

Susan was always a carefree soul that also happened to have a bit of a rivalry with Ross over Carol. Ross never hid how uncomfortable he was with their relationship and would talk about it whenever he saw that, and Susan used his slight obsession with his first failed marriage (and his slight homophobia) as a way to make him squirm. It was a frequent bit throughout the show and whenever the two did interact, it was always funny. Tessa Thompson could definitely depict that rivalry. She has already played characters that have a knack for being sarcastic, such as Valkyrie in the MCU, and has dabbled in comedy in movies like Men in Black: International.

Mike Hannigan – Simu Liu

Paul Rudd is so charming and funny that he could honestly still play Mike Hannigan in a Friends reboot if that ever happened. Plus, the man does not seem to age. He is just as handsome and youthful as he was nearly 20 years ago when the show ended. Nevertheless, an actor that could pull off the same sarcastic humor as Mike and mesh with Phoebe’s quirkiness would be Simu Liu.

Last year Liu entered the MCU (which Rudd himself has been in for eight years) and enchanted audiences with his portrayal of Shang-Chi, to which he brought humor and charisma. He will also be in Greta Gerwig’s upcoming film Barbie, and from the trailer alone it is evident that Liu’s version of Ken is going to be a fan-favorite. Just like Rudd, Liu is both good-looking and talented and would fit in perfectly with this cast of characters.

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