Mariska Hargitay Auditioned for Friends

The one where Mariska Hargitay almost missed her calling. 

The Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star recently reflected on her dreams of being a comedic actress and the role she had her eye on to help her get her start.

“I did Seinfeld, I did Single Guy,” the 60-year-old shared with Amy Poehler on the Oct. 21 episode of the Good Hang podcast. “I tested for Friends, so many times. I think it’s Monica.”

The role of Monica Geller ultimately went to Courteney Cox, who played the role alongside costars Jennifer Aniston, Matthew Perry, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc for 10 seasons. However, the comedic route simply didn’t pan out for Mariska.

“I always thought that I would end up being on a sitcom or doing comedy,” she shared. “And it’s so funny, I’m in LA, struggling actor. I think it was after ER. I was like, ‘What am I going to do? What am I going to do?’ I loved ER but I had a development deal with DreamWorks, and I was developing a show, and it was a la Ally McBeal, where it was a dramedy.”