David Schwimmer initially turned down the role of Ross in 'Friends' after his first sitcom 'felt like a prison sentence'

• It's hard to imagine anyone but David Schwimmer playing Ross in "Friends," but the actor told Jimmy Fallon that he initially turned down the role.
• On "The Tonight Show" on Monday, Schwimmer said that his first sitcom experience "felt like a prison sentence," so when his agent called him about "Friends" he "just said no, I'm not doing it."
• It was a call from legendary sitcom director Jim Burrows ("Cheers," "Frasier") asking him to come and meet the rest of the cast and crew that ultimately changed his mind, he said, as he found out that "Friends" creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane had written Ross with him in mind.
• "When I heard that they wrote this part with me in mind I was like, 'OK, yeah, let's do this!' That's the biggest compliment ever," Schwimmer said.
• Schwimmer had previously worked on Fox's "Monty," which was cancelled after one season.
• Watch Schwimmer's appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" below.

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