In 1994 during pre-production, Kauffman and Crane were busy selling the idea of Friends to people using Courtney Coxs name as their linchpin argument. She was considered by far the most successful and marketable name in the cast prior to the airing of the first season. Already reasonably well known for appearing in a Bruce Springsteen video when she was much younger, Cox had already starred in hit sitcom Family Ties five years earlier as Michael J. Foxs girlfriend for two seasons of the show, and had parlayed that success into roles in Hollywood feature films like the ill-fated He-Man adaptation Masters Of The Universe, the Jim Belushi vehicle Mr. Destiny, the sequel to Cocoon and, shortly before Friends appeared on TV, opposite Jim Carrey in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. When she was up for the auditions, Cox was offered the role of Rachel Green, but having read the scripts believed that Monica Geller was the stronger part, and lobbied to be handed that instead. Initially, Kauffman and Crane hadnt seen Monica as being a perky, upbeat woman, but were convinced after Cox read for the part, and offered her the role instead.