Rachel Karen Green is a fictional character from the American sitcom Friends (1994–2004). Portrayed by actress Jennifer Aniston, she was created for the show by its creators, David Crane and Marta Kauffman, and appears in all 236 episodes across 10 seasons. Introduced in the pilot as a naïve runaway bride, she relocates to New York City, where she moves in with her childhood best friend, Monica Geller. Over the course of the series, Rachel evolves from a sheltered daughter into a single mother and fashion executive. Her on-again, off-again relationship with Monica's brother, Ross, forms a central storyline of the series.
Rachel was the most difficult character to cast. Several actresses were considered, including Courteney Cox, who preferred the role of Monica, while Aniston had also been considered for the role ultimately given to Cox. Aniston had previously appeared in several unsuccessful sitcoms, and her contract for the CBS sitcom Muddling Through initially cast doubt on whether she would be able to remain on Friends, until the series was cancelled shortly before Friends premiered. Her $1 million per episode salary for seasons nine and ten established her as one of the highest-paid television actresses of all time, which was recognized by Guinness World Records.
Rachel received a positive reception throughout Friends decade-long run, but some of her storylines have been criticized, specifically her romantic relationship with her friend Joey Tribbiani in season 10. Aniston's performance was praised, and won her an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series – Comedy Or Musical. Rachel is considered to be Aniston's breakout role, credited with making her the show's most famous cast member and launching her film career.
Rachel's popularity established her as the show's breakout character, who has since been named one of the greatest television characters of all time, while the character's second season haircut spawned an international phenomenon of its own. Named the "Rachel" after her, the character's shag continues to be imitated by millions of women around the world and remains one of the most popular hairstyles in history, in spite of Aniston personally disliking it. Rachel is also regarded as a style icon due to her influence on womenswear during the 1990s. Meanwhile, the character's relationship with Ross is often cited among television's most beloved.
Role
Rachel Green is introduced in the pilot episode of Friends as a runaway bride who leaves her fiancé, Barry Farber (Mitchell Whitfield), at the altar. After her father refuses to support her financially, despite being notably unskilled at the job. Much of the series focuses on Rachel’s efforts to find her passion, pursue her career goals, and climb the corporate ladder, as well as her romantic relationships. Starting around season three, She eventually becomes a buyer at Ralph Lauren, where she remains for the rest of the series. initiating their on-again, off-again relationship that spans the entire show. Their relationship includes notable landmarks such as Ross choosing Rachel over his girlfriend at the time, Ross' frustration with Rachel's busy work schedule and companionship with a male coworker, their breakup over a disagreement while they were on a "break" from dating each other, and several moments of both hostility towards each other and reconciliation, during which time the friendship dynamic of the group struggles. Ross marries her boss' niece Emily (Helen Baxendale) despite accidentally saying Rachel's name during their wedding vows, but divorces Emily once she demands he stops being friends with Rachel. They drunkenly marry in Las Vegas during season five, eventually divorce after failing to have their marriage annulled, and later co-parent their daughter Emma, born in season eight following a one-night stand. In season nine, Rachel briefly dates Joey, but they end their relationship in season ten after realizing they are better as friends. Despite receiving a job offer in France, Rachel ultimately decides to stay in New York and rekindle her relationship with Ross in the series finale, de-boarding her flight at the last minute.
By the series' conclusion, Rachel achieves significant personal and professional growth. Her decision to reunite with Ross in the final episode brings her story full circle, solidifying her evolution from a dependent individual into a self-assured and independent woman. Post-series material, such as the spin-off Joey, suggests that she and Ross eventually remarry.
Development
Creation
Television writers David Crane and Marta Kauffman pitched Friends to then-NBC president Warren Littlefield as a sitcom about "that special time in your life when your friends are your family". they based its main characters on their own friends from the time. Rachel Green was conceived as a young woman unprepared for adulthood. Kauffman said the writers had always wanted Rachel to evolve from a woman who did not know how to do any job into “a woman who learned to partially define herself by her work”. In earlier drafts of the pilot, the character was named "Rachel Robbins". Kauffman confirmed that Rachel was intended to be Jewish, though she did not write her as strongly affiliated with specific religious practices or identity.
Despite being an ensemble series, the writers gave Rachel the pilot’s most prominent storyline. Although the pilot had always involved Rachel leaving her groom at the altar, an earlier version included a scene in which her parents arrived before a commercial break. but pivoted after seeing Aniston’s chemistry with Schwimmer in the pilot. Their relationship permanently shifted starting with the first-season finale "The One Where Rachel Finds Out", in which Rachel finally learns about Ross's feelings for her, and discovers she feels the same in return. Although few Friends writers expected the couple's relationship to become a widespread phenomenon, they agreed it was time to change their dynamic to prevent the "he's pining, she's oblivious" pattern from growing repetitive. They drew inspiration from the works of author Jane Austen to shift the pining from Ross to Rachel, and constantly reworked the episode more than any other due to its high stakes. Crane admitted that keeping viewers invested in their relationship for ten years was challenging. Rachel and Joey’s romantic storyline was conceived because the writers wanted to further postpone Ross and Rachel’s reunion. Despite protests from the cast, who felt it would render Rachel, Joey, and Ross unlikeable for betraying one another in different ways, Crane felt that pairing Rachel and Joey during season ten was essential because of how inappropriate it was. The writers were also uncertain about Rachel’s pregnancy storyline, concerned about how to incorporate the baby without allowing Friends to “become a show about a baby” while also not ignoring the child’s existence. When it came time to write the series finale, Crane and Kauffman said the only element they had decided from early on was that Ross and Rachel would end up together, feeling there was no benefit in continuing to frustrate the audience. At one point, the writers considered ending their relationship in more of a “gray area”, only hinting that they would eventually end up together in the future.
Casting
Rachel was the most difficult Friends character to cast. The studio had offered the role to their first choice, Téa Leoni, but she turned it down to star on the sitcom The Naked Truth. Tiffani Thiessen was a top contender but was ultimately deemed too young compared to the rest of the cast. Jane Sibbett, who was ultimately cast as Ross’s ex-wife Carol, was considered for the role after a strong audition, but was eliminated due to her pregnancy. Lisa Whelchel read the pilot script but opted not to pursue the role because she was uncomfortable with the show’s sexual themes. An NBC executive had offered it to Jami Gertz, but Crane did not consider her right for the part and was ultimately relieved when she passed. Other actresses who auditioned include Elizabeth Berkley, Denise Richards, Melissa Rivers, Nicollette Sheridan, Parker Posey,
Friends was Aniston's sixth sitcom; each of her previous shows had been canceled early. She had also appeared in several unsuccessful projects for NBC. Feeling uncertain about her acting career, Aniston confided in Littlefield, who encouraged her to audition for Friends. She auditioned shortly after declining a cast member position on the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live. The producers had originally wanted Cox to play Rachel, due to her cheerfulness. Meanwhile, although unbeknownst to each other, but convinced the producers that she was better suited for Rachel's personality. At one point, Cox had begun to regret her decision to play Monica, until her own character’s storylines improved.
thumb|upright|Upon being cast as Rachel in Friends – her sixth sitcom effort – actress Jennifer Aniston was nearly recast due to her involvement with another developing sitcom, [[Muddling Through, at the time. The producers had originally wanted Aniston to audition for the role of Monica.]]
Crane and Kauffman had worked with Aniston prior and preferred her for the role, Because Aniston was technically unavailable, the producers auditioned several other actresses, but ultimately cast her in second position because they found none as suitable for Rachel. but acknowledged that he risked millions of dollars "Every time we shot another episode with Jennifer". Aniston preferred Friends to the point where she pleaded with Les Moonves, then-president of Warner Bros. Television, to help release her from her Muddling Through contract. As a precaution, NBC limited how many Friends promotions and photo shoots Aniston participated in, and continued auditioning other candidates. Some of Aniston’s own friends told her they were auditioning for her role in Friends. To further ensure Aniston’s availability, Littlefield instructed NBC’s scheduling strategist Preston Beckman to compete for Muddling Through’s viewership by scheduling adaptations of Danielle Steel novels in the same time slot. Ultimately, Muddling Through was canceled after three months and 10 episodes, two weeks before Friends premiered, By this point, Aniston had already filmed at least three episodes for Friends. with each main character maintaining roughly equal importance within the series. In the title sequence, Aniston is credited first due to the cast being listed alphabetically by surname. Around season two, the cast realized that Aniston and Schwimmer were earning more than the rest of the ensemble due to the show's emphasis on the Ross–Rachel storyline. Schwimmer and Aniston volunteered to take pay cuts in exchange for the cast renegotiating equal salaries. The Friends cast was among the first in television history to negotiate collectively for equal salaries. Aniston was paid $85,000 per episode in season four, $100,000 per episode in season five, $125,000 per episode in season six, and $750,000 per episode in seasons seven and eight. By seasons nine and ten, Aniston and the main cast were earning $1 million per episode, Alongside Cox and Kudrow, Aniston's $1 million salary made her the highest-paid television actress of all-time, which was recognized by The Guinness Book of World Records in 2002. She continues to earn approximately $20 million per year in residuals, decades after the series ended. She and the cast were paid $2.5 million each for the 2021 reunion special, after initially declining $1 million offers.
Aniston eventually surpassed Cox as the show's most famous cast member. Her then-husband, actor Brad Pitt, also guest-starred in an episode of the series as an old schoolmate, marking their only on-screen appearance together. Although she did not want the show to end, Aniston admitted she would rather it conclude while still successful, questioning how much longer she could convincingly continue playing Rachel. At one point, she had considered not returning for season 10, later explaining, “I had a couple issues that I was dealing with". her representatives denied this.
Characterization and themes
Rachel is the youngest main character on Friends. The term "spoiled" is often used to describe her early appearances. According to Crane and Kauffman's original character description, Rachel is a spoiled yet courageous young woman who "has worked for none of what she has" and, as such, is initially "equipped to do nothing". Throughout the series, she is known for her beauty, wealthy upbringing, popularity, and strong sense of style. Frequently characterized as the girl next door, Anne Bilson of The Telegraph described Rachel as "funny but not too funny, pretty but not too pretty, sexy but not too sexy, scatterbrained but not too scatterbrained". Meanwhile, Liat Kornowski, writing for The Huffington Post, said Rachel is a "beautiful, coveted, slightly neurotic, borderline egocentric" character.
Rachel undergoes one of the most significant character transformations on the series. Originally depicted as being unprepared for "the world as an adult", TV Land wrote that, despite her privileged upbringing, Rachel proves herself to be smart, resourceful, and chic, qualities that benefit both her professional and personal lives. Episodes featuring Rachel’s sisters, Jill and Amy, serve as reminders of who Rachel used to be and how far she had evolved since leaving Long Island. Splitsider’s Mike D'Avria determined that Rachel has the highest percentage of serious monogamous relationships among the main characters.
Rachel is considered to be the most fashionable of the sextet, and wore the trendiest clothes of the three female leads. As such, Rachel’s style and wardrobe are considered defining characteristics of the character, consisting of denim, simple T-shirts and tank tops, white sneakers, overalls, plaid skirts, cargo pants, blazers, pantsuits, sweatshirts, and sweatpants. After Rachel begins working at Bloomingdale's, her wardrobe becomes more elevated while remaining minimal, incorporating tank tops layered over T-shirts, high-waisted jeans and skirts, block heels, overalls, coordinated suit sets, and short dresses with square necklines. She initially used predominantly blues and greens for Rachel, which evolved into a more neutral color palette as the series progressed. McGuire said Rachel’s style evolution mirrors her personal growth, from someone who took her belongings for granted to a character who learns to value what she owns after having to earn her own money. as her religion was never confirmed until 2011. In her book Changed for Good: A Feminist History of the Broadway Musical, author Stacy Wolf identified Rachel as one of several popular female television characters who embodied Jewish stereotypes during the 1990s and often served as "the butt of the shows' jokes". Meanwhile, JDate's Rebecca Frankel cited Rachel as one of the earliest and most prominent examples of the Jewish American Princess stereotype on screen. Writing for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Alicia R. Korenman also acknowledged Rachel's initial Jewish American Princess qualities, describing her as "spoiled, dependent on her father's money and her fiance's, is horrified at the thought of working for a living and generally inept in her attempts to do so, and is eventually revealed to have had a nose job", which she eventually overcomes as they become less "evident in later seasons of the show". In his article "Princesses, Schlemiels, Punishers and Overbearing Mothers", Evan Cooper described Rachel as a "de-semitized" Jew because, aside from her name, "there is never any discussion of experiences of growing up in a Jewish culture, no use of Yiddish, and few, if any, references to family members with distinctively Jewish surnames". Cooper continued to write that although Rachel possesses some Jewish American Princess traits, she is more similar to the "little woman" stereotype. The New York Posts Robert Rorke labeled Rachel "a rehabilitated Jewish American Princess", in contrast to her sister Amy (Christina Applegate) who remains "selfish, condescending and narcissistic".
Critical reception
Reception towards Rachel was mostly positive, John Reid of The A.V. Club attributed the pilot's success to Rachel, describing her as "the perfect stranger" to progress the show's plot and character growth in the other main characters "because unlike the rest of them, Rachel is interested in finding meaning for her life". Adrienne Tyler of Screen Rant said that, despite being the character most in need of a reality check, Rachel is “the character who most clearly demonstrates" the show's themes about adulthood, and Joe Reid of Decider called her the show's "the most interesting character from the first episode on". The New York Times<nowiki/>'s Joseph Hanania found Rachel's telephone conversation with her father during the pilot "hilarious", and the Los Angeles Times Bob Shayne admitted his feelings of attracting towards Rachel. Cosmopolitan touted Rachel "the best fictional gal pal we've ever had". While People called her "spoiled-but-lovable", USA Today's Robert Bianco credits Rachel's pregnancy storyline with saving Friends, observing that the arc increased the show's ratings while ultimately reversing the show's decline, believing "Friends probably would have ended sooner" without it. BDCwire ranked "The One with the Ball", "The One with Rachel's Inadvertent Kiss", "The One With The Football", "The One with the Fake Party" and "The One In Vegas, Part One" Rachel's five strongest episodes.
Some of the character's storylines and aspects of her personality have received criticism. Neeraj Chand of Looper and Tilly Pearce of Metro agreed that while Rachel’s character was often likable and improved over time, she still retained a streak of selfishness and entitlement that was never resolved. Rachel Handler of Vulture called her "deeply incompetent at almost everything". TVLine panned Rachel for sleeping with her ex-fiancé, Barry, in "The One With the Evil Orthodontist". They also criticized the character's role in season four's "The One With The Fake Party". At times, the character generated mild controversy, particularly in “The One Where Dr. Ramoray Dies”, when Rachel and Monica play rock paper scissors to decide who gets to use the last remaining condom in the apartment. Additionally, fans would often approach Aniston and scold her for decisions that Rachel makes within the show that they do not particularly agree with. Collider’s Jennie Richardson named “The One with Rachel’s Assistant” the worst episode of the entire series, citing Rachel’s relationship with her assistant Tag and the lack of consequences as outdated and inappropriate. Blythe Chadim of Collider and Adrienne Tyler of Screen Rant felt the finale undermined Rachel’s character development by having her choose to stay with Ross instead of accepting a job offer in Paris. Her Jewishness was also criticized by some; Arielle Kaplan of St. Louis Jewish Light wrote that the character “encompassed all the negative JAP stereotypes”. which Kevin Fallon of The Daily Beast said "was the work of a brilliant character actress". TV Guide said she "instantly charmed audiences with her perfect looks and endearingly flawed persona". The Guardian<nowiki/>'s Ryan Gilbey singled out Aniston as the cast member "least reliant on goofball caricature", observing that playing the most relatable character "also meant that she got the lion's share of attention". She was particularly noted for her comedic abilities. Andrew Collins of Radio Times hailed Aniston as a "natural comic performer" in the role, "as adept with a subtle nose wrinkle as a full-on pratfall, and fluent in quick-fire patter". Naming Rachel one of her best on-screen performances, Brandon Miller of Looper said Aniston excelled in both the comedic and dramatic aspects of the role. Conversely, Isha Mayer of Elle India felt the role hardly showcased Aniston’s talents, believing she only demonstrated her versatility and range in projects following Friends. For her performance, Aniston received five Primetime Emmy Awards nominations, two Golden Globe Awards nominations, and nine Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations. for the episode "The One Where Rachel Has a Baby".
Entertainment.ie named Rachel the best character on the show, Christopher Rosa of Glamour ranked Rachel as the fourth-best friend despite her being his personal favorite, citing her self-absorption and scheming as reasons. Linda Holmes of NPR ranked her fifth, despite having grown to appreciate her humor more as the series progressed.
Relationships
Rachel’s romantic relationships were the focus of several storylines, the most prominent of which was her on-again, off-again relationship with Ross. However, some critics found the relationship drawn out, tedious, and occasionally unfunny. Ross and Rachel’s season-three breakup spawned a long-running debate among fans over whether Ross had cheated on Rachel, or whether the two were technically broken up. They are often ranked among television's most beloved couples, with TV Guide calling them arguably "the most iconic TV couple in recent memory". Tenplay believes they defined the term "will they, won't they" couple.
During season ten, Rachel's brief romance with Joey drew strong criticism from both critics and fans. It is widely regarded as one of the show's worst storylines, although it did not harm viewership. Entertainment Tonight Canada ranked "The One After Rachel and Joey Kiss" among the show's ten worst episodes. In more recent years, some fans have defended the relationship, arguing that Joey would have been better suited for Rachel and that the show ultimately didn’t allow their relationship to fully develop. receiving the most attention of the main characters. Entertainment Weekly ranked the character sixth on a similar countdown, while AOL TV included Rachel among television's hundred "Greatest Women" at number 23. Digital Spy ranked Rachel the ninth greatest female television character of the 21st century, attributing her legacy to Jennifer Aniston’s performance and writing that her story arc has aged better than some aspects of the series. BuddyTV ranked Rachel the 15th funniest female character in sitcom history, while ChaCha collectively ranked Rachel, Monica and Phoebe 11th, 12th and 13th on the website's list of the "Top 16 Female TV Characters of All Time". According to The Hollywood Reporter, Hollywood professionals voted Rachel the 29th best female character in 2016. In 2019, Harper's Bazaar named Rachel one of the most impactful female television characters, with author Olivia Blair writing that she helped "promote ideals of female independence". Writing for Entertainmentwise, Georgina Littlejohn believes Rachel inspired the character Penny in the sitcom The Big Bang Theory, noting that the characters, both waitresses, are "blonde, cute, funny, likeable girls-next-door". Amory Rose of Business Insider called her "one of the most iconic characters of the 1990s and early 2000s".
Aniston became the show's breakout star, and received more media attention than her castmates. Turner Classic Movies called her "One of the most popular television actresses of her era". Kate Lloyd of The Guardian said few celebrities were as famous as Aniston during the 2000s. Steve Charnock of Yahoo! Movies considers her "the series' only main cast member to become a bona fide movie star since the end of the show". Josh Robertson of Complex named Aniston one of the most attractive sitcom stars of the 1990s.
In 2021, Kauffman debunked an online theory suggesting that the entire series took place in a dream Rachel had before her wedding to Barry. whose costumes are considered to have been highly influential on fashion during the 1990s and beyond. Vogue India<nowiki/>'s Praachi Raniwala described the character as "the decade’s most defining celluloid style icon", and Sadie Kinzer of Her Campus called her one of the 1990s and early 2000s's "most iconic fashion girlies".
Publications such as Elle, Glamour, Harper's Bazaar, The Independent, and Numéro have ranked Rachel among television's best-dressed characters. According to Phoebe Avison of Bustle, her style "helped define the way an entire generation of women dress today". PopSugar ranked Friends 15th on the website's list of "50 TV Shows That Changed the Way We Dress", citing Rachel's "impressive" wardrobe. InStyle ranked Friends the 36th most fashionable television show of all time, praising Rachel, Monica and Phoebe's costumes. StyleCaster ranked Rachel among "The 50 Most Stylish TV Characters Of All Time" at number 28. Cosmopolitan magazine compiled a list of "16 things Rachel Green wore to work that we'd totally wear today", while Virgin Media ranked the character among television's sexiest.
Rachel’s fashion choices resonated with contemporary viewers at the time of the series’ original broadcast. Of the main characters, McGuire received the most questions about Rachel’s outfits while Friends was on the air. particularly among millennial and Generation Z viewers, who often use them as inspiration. while Sophie Austen of The Courier credited the character's use of timeless pieces such as black miniskirts, oversized sweaters, block colours, and plaid, which are easy to recreate. In 2019, Ralph Lauren released a collection inspired by Rachel's office wardrobe on the series. That same year, McGuire said she still received up to five emails a week about Rachel’s outfits, which she attributed to younger viewers discovering the show and the cyclical nature of fashion. According to a 2021 study by Money.co.uk, which analysed Google search data over the preceding year, Rachel’s wardrobe was ranked as the most influential on television, with nearly 450,000 annual searches. Layla Ilchi of Women’s Wear Daily dubbed the phenomenon a “Rachel Green Style Resurgence”, writing that “few TV characters have captured — and sustained — fashion influence quite like Rachel".
Hair
Named after the character, the "Rachel" refers to a bouncy layered shag inspired by the way in which Aniston wore her hair on Friends between 1994 and 1996, during the first and second seasons of the series. The "Rachel" debuted in the show's 20th episode, "The One with the Evil Orthodontist". Aniston believes that her hair stylist, Chris McMillan, created the haircut while he was under the influence of marijuana. The "Rachel" immediately became popular among women, launching an international hair trend. The popularity of the "Rachel" coincided with the popularity of Friends during the mid-to-late-1990s. Marie Claire estimates that 11 million women donned the hairstyle throughout the decade, while the Daily Express determined that the hairstyle was most popular among British women, who went to hair salons "clutching magazine pictures of Aniston" and asking hairdressers to give them the look.
right|thumb|upright|Jennifer Aniston portraying her character while donning the famous "Rachel" haircut during the second-season episode "[[The One with Phoebe's Husband". The hairstyle would go on to become one of the most popular of all time.]]
According to Vanity Fair, the hairstyle's "widespread popularity ... in the show's very first year cemented the sitcom early on as heavily influential when it came to style". The "Rachel" remains one of the most popular hairstyles in history, Hair stylists credit its appeal and popularity to its medium length and volume, combined with its tendency to frame the face flatteringly. with Redbook placing it at number four and Time ranking it ninth. The Huffington Post determined that the hairstyle is one of "The Most Famous TV Hairstyles Of All Time". US Weekly ranked the "Rachel" the 17th most iconic hairstyle. Glamour magazine ranked the "Rachel" fourth on the magazine's list of "The 100 Best Hairstyles of All Time". The magazine also cited it among "The very best hair to have graced the small screen", while ranking it the most memorable hairstyle in television history. The Sydney Morning Herald ranked it the second greatest television hairstyle, Ranked sixth on Entertainment Weekly<nowiki/>'s list of the "25 Fashion Moments That Changed Entertainment", the haircut was declared the most "desired" hairstyle of the Clinton era.
Zahra Barnes of Self joked that Rachel's hair has always been the "true star of the show". Opining that Friends spawned few memorable catchphrases in comparison to its contemporaries, Tom Jicha of The Baltimore Sun attributes much of the show's legacy to the hairstyle, calling it the show's "only cultural trend". Josh Robertson of Complex magazine felt that "With the haircut, the TV fame, and a true gift for comedy ... combined, Aniston became a big star", replacing Courteney Cox. Hannah Lyons Powell of Glamour agreed that the hairstyle made Aniston "the definitive hair icon of the '90s and the proud owner of arguably the most infamous and influential hairstyle of all time". However, Rebecca Cox of Glamour is grateful that the hairstyle remained in the 1990s. She found maintaining the hairstyle without McMillan's help difficult, stating "I'd curse Chris every time I had to blowdry. It took three brushes—it was like doing surgery!" and that she would rather shave her head than have to wear it for the rest of her life. Since Aniston, several other celebrities have worn variations of the "Rachel", among them actresses Cameron Diaz, Rachel McAdams, Emma Watson, Reese Witherspoon, Julia Roberts, comedian Tina Fey, model Tyra Banks, and singer Lily Allen.