Money does not matter these days for Heaton who’s in her 60s and continues to enjoy a fabulous career, with a worth of $40 million. She keeps going with projects these days, just finishing up with The Unbreakable Boy and working on Mending the Line.Once upon a time, however, things weren’t as smooth. Heaton recalls her audition process for Everybody Loves Raymond, desperately needing to find work.
Hilariously, Heaton revealed that the desperation had hit a new low when she agreed to kiss Ray Romano during the casting process.
“That’s how desperate I was for a job,” she joked about her onscreen husband. “[I was like], ‘I don’t know who that guy is in the corner, but if I have to kiss him, I’ll do it.’ I really didn’t know who it was.”
Heaton was perfect for the role. However, CBS thought otherwise…Were Ray Romano and Patricia Heaton friends while filming Everybody Loves Raymond and what happened to their relationship once the finale aired?
CBS Wanted Jane Sibbett Instead Of Patricia Heaton, But Ray Romano And Phil Rosenthal Wouldn’t Budge
Jane Sibbett, who played Carol Willick on Friends was the preferred choice to play Debra on Everybody Loves Raymond
Jane Sibbett and David Schwimmer Friends via YouTube
Alongside Us Magazine, Phil Rosenthal revealed certain details relating to the casting of Patricia Heaton. According to the man behind the series, CBS had pushed for a better-looking option.
“CBS wanted someone hotter to play Debra,” Rosenthal stated. “I almost quit the show over it.”
Rosenthal went on to say, “They insisted on this actress. I thought she was wrong, but I met with her and she was a very pleasant, very nice person. She wasn’t going to read for the role, but during the meeting, I convinced her to read a little bit with me, and she was 10 times worse for the part than I thought she would be!”
