Friends: Why Rachel’s Friend Mindy Was Recast | Screen Rant
Jennifer Grey first played Mindy Hunter on Friends but the character was later portrayed by Jana Marie Hupp. So why was there a casting change?
Many viewers didn't immediately realize that Rachel Greene's friend, Mindy Hunter, was recast during Friends. Despite being a close friend of Jennifer Aniston's character, Mindy only appeared in a total of two episodes throughout the decade-long series. Jana Marie Hupp wound up taking over the role from Jennifer Grey between season 1 and 2.
Mindy was set to serve as Rachel's maid-of-honor when her friend was preparing to marry Barry Farber. In the Friends pilot, Rachel memorably left Barry at the altar. It was also revealed that Barry went through with the honeymoon but took Mindy instead. Barry and Mindy eventually got engaged but he cheated on her with Rachel. This came after the fact that Barry cheated with Mindy while he was previously engaged to Rachel. In the end, Mindy still married Barry, but the pair were divorced within four years, something that Rachel was happy to learn.
When Mindy made her Friends debut in season 1's "The One With The Evil Orthodontist," the character was memorably played by Grey. The actress was already widely known for her past roles in Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Dirty Dancing. When the character returned in season 2 with the episode titled "The One With Barry And Mindy's Wedding," the role of Mindy was recast with Hupp, a lesser-known actress at the time. The reason for the recasting has never been revealed, but there have been a few plausible theories floating out there.
In the early '90s, Grey underwent two rhinoplasty procedures (aka "nose jobs") that greatly changed her appearance. Her once distinguishable look was gone and the actress admitted that the plastic surgeries affected her career since many felt that she was unrecognizable. At one point, Grey even considered changing her name to restart her career. It's very possible that the second surgery got in the way of her availability for gigs due to her recovery schedule. The topic may have been too much of a distraction during the arc in Friends, causing the series to go in a new direction.
More than likely, Grey wasn't available to return in season 2 for whatever reason so Friends decided to recast the role. The sitcom was known to recast minor roles from time to time. Seeing as Mindy didn't have a prominent presence, the change went unnoticed by many viewers. It would have been interesting to see Grey acquire a bigger role and possibly revive her career as a way to silence the surgery criticism but that was never in the cards.