It’s hard to imagine “Will & Grace” without any of the stars from the show being in it, but it nearly happened.
Eric McCormack, who played lawyer Will Truman on the groundbreaking NBC sitcom that initially ran eight seasons from 1998 to 2006 and was rebooted for three more seasons beginning in 2017, says he initially said no to the part.
“‘Will & Grace’ was one of those shows that, on paper, the whole network went ‘yes’ very early. ‘This show is going. We just have to find the actors,’” he said while appearing with “Will & Grace” co-star Sean Hayes on TODAY with Hoda & Jenna on June 26.
McCormack, who would go on to win an Emmy for his portrayal of Will, said he had been told he was going to be cast in the series, but he wasn’t sold on it.
“By early December of ’97, the creators of the show were like, ‘You’re going to be our guy. We can’t say it yet, but you’re going to be our guy,’” he said.
“And it scared me. Because it was so early in the pilot season process that I felt like, 'I have to audition for some other things, too.'"
McCormack, who has also said the show was meant to feature a fifth main character that was ultimately axed, said he was ready to walk away, but the show’s co-creator, Max Mutchnick, would have none of that.
“I said, ‘I’m just going to pull myself out of this till after the New Year’ and Max, who I really only had met once, called me at home and said, ‘Are you insane?’” McCormack recalled.
“He said, ‘This is the best thing you’ll ever get in your whole life.’ And he’s right. So I came back in and the rest is history.”
McCormack and Hayes have teamed up once again in the new “Will & Grace” rewatch podcast, “Just Jack & Will.” The idea for the podcast came up when they realized McCormack had seen the show a lot and Hayes said he hadn’t.
“I’ve never really watched the series, ever,” Hayes said.
He remembers being there, but not viewing it.
“I've never watched it like an audience member,” he said.
“It’s a rewatch for me. It’s a watch for him,” McCormack said.