Who Plays Mona On Friends?

When rewatching "Friends," fans probably come across memorable personas like Mona, who may not have been major players but left their mark on the Emmy-winning sitcom's iconic legacy, and some viewers may be scratching their heads when they try to figure out which actor was responsible for playing the part on the show.

It's no secret that Ross Geller (David Schwimmer) has his fair share of relationships before he ends up with Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston) on "Friends," including his time with the character Mona. She appears in seven entries of the 8th season, starting with "The One After I Do." Their relationship isn't a walk in the park, considering Rachel is pregnant with Ross' baby, but the two try to make it work even if there are a few hilarious hiccups along the way. There is no denying that she puts up with a lot while dating Ross, and the person responsible for bringing Mona to life is Bonnie Somerville.

After Mona and Ross ended things, Somerville went on to appear in a number of popular shows, like "NYPD Blue," "Kitchen Confidential," "Cashmere Mafia," "Code Black," "Blue Bloods," and more. She has also been involved with some solid big-screen titles, like "Pearly Gates," "Fire with Fire," "The Best and the Brightest," and "The Ugly Truth." There is no denying that Somerville has put together an impressive career overall, and her time on "Friends" will always arguably stand out as a major turning point, especially when considering how Bonnie Somerville felt when she was on the show and how she looks back at how things played out.

Fans may not realize that when Bonnie Somerville first discovered she would be on "Friends," her initial run was only supposed to be for one episode. But she kept being brought back for more, which she thought would lead to her having a bigger role on the show, especially considering how Mona and Ross Geller continued progressing onscreen. "Our relationship just kind of kept going," she revealed in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, "and eventually I was like, 'Oh my God, I'm going to be the seventh friend. I'm going to be a regular!' That didn't happen." Unfortunately, Somerville was never destined to dance in a fountain with the rest of the sitcom's best-pal group.

While her time on the NBC series was shorter than she'd hoped, the role did lead to several other endeavors down the line, but not many of them lasted very long. After so many years of jumping from show to show, the back and forth took a toll on the actor. "I had just turned 40, and it all hit me hard," Somerville revealed in an interview with the Independent. "I got so damn depressed, and I didn't have the career that I thought I was going to have by then." Contrary to popular belief, show business is not always an easy gig for actors, even if they have a big break on a show like "Friends." 

If people are shocked at how things turned out for Bonnie Somerville after playing Mona, they may be even more astonished to see how fans feel about the legacy of the character she played.

It's clear that Bonnie Somerville wished things could have gone differently after she got the part of Mona in "Friends," but fans seem to be somewhat divided when it comes to how they really feel about the character. Users on Reddit have expressed their thoughts regarding Mona, with some commenting on the fact that they feel she didn't make much of an impact, like u/Olixius, who wrote, "She was a plot device because Ross needed to be dating someone. They didn't develop her character at all." 

Others insisted she didn't bring anything exciting to the table, such as u/LJ-90, who posted, "Mona has basically no personality. Everything about her is about Ross, she's barely a character."

But several fans appreciated Somerville's character, and some even felt Ross should have chosen her over Rachel Green. "I think Mona was the most perfect match for Ross," u/thebeaverhausen_ana wrote. "She got his jokes, his spudnik costume, his salt water taffy trivia – she really liked him!" 

On the other hand, u/jennhoff03 thought Mona was way out of Ross' league, making their case heard in a post saying, "Mona was a friggin' saint! I don't know how she stayed with Ross for so long." 

And even after years of not liking her, some have come around, like u/One-Establishment170, who posted, "I used to hate Mona as a child/teenager but on rewatch I find myself more and more on her side."

People clearly have mixed feelings about their experiences with the character. But those who enjoyed Somerville's performance can continue to enjoy seeing Mona when revisiting her time on "Friends."