Is it true that Patricia Heaton wasn the original casting choice for Debra Barone?
“Romano and Rosenthal wanted Maggie Wheeler (Chandler’s whiny ex-girlfriend on Friends) to play Ray’s wife, Debra. CBS “thought it was too ethnic for me and her to be together,” says Romano, whose actual wife looks more like Wheeler than Heaton (Wheeler did wind up on the show, as Ray’s best friend’s spouse). The network proposed Jane Sibbett (Ross’ WASPy ex-wife on Friends). “We thought that was just too un-ethnic,” says Romano. A week before the pilot taping, everybody agreed to cast the dark-haired-but-not-too-ethnic Heaton as Debra.
“Romano and Rosenthal wanted Maggie Wheeler (Chandler’s whiny ex-girlfriend on Friends) to play Ray’s wife, Debra. CBS “thought it was too ethnic for me and her to be together,” says Romano, whose actual wife looks more like Wheeler than Heaton (Wheeler did wind up on the show, as Ray’s best friend’s spouse). The network proposed Jane Sibbett (Ross’ WASPy ex-wife on Friends). “We thought that was just too un-ethnic,” says Romano.
