The Everybody Loves Raymond cast revealed how Patricia Heaton landed her iconic role of Debra Barone over other numerous actresses who auditioned for the part. During the show’s 30th anniversary reunion special, Ray Romano and creator Phil Rosenthal filled in the details on something that Heaton did that surprised them during the audition process. This is despite the fact that the actress didn’t feel confident about her prospects given the incredible competition for the role.
200 women auditioned for Debra Barone role
At first, Patricia Heaton came into the audition process not needing to do that much research for Debra Barone because she found her relatable to her own life.
“I didn’t really have to do research, and I didn’t really have to do acting,” she explained, “because it was what we were all dealing with in our marriages… Well, I was going through — and I think why the show worked, we were all going through — what the Barone family was going through in our lives.”
The actress described the financial strain she was experiencing and the stress she had being a mother of two young children while she was auditioning. “I had a 3-year-old and a 1-year-old in my life. I had a babysitting issue hen I was coming to the audition, I need to get back. I was cutting out coupons for 50 cents off two packs of Ball Park Franks, so I needed the gig.”
However, when Heaton saw that there were eight women in the room trying to get the role, she thought she wasn’t going to “get back in time for the babysitter,” so she wanted “to get this audition done.” It was this “desperation” she had to get the job that made her do something that Romano and Rosenthal were surprised by despite having seen 200 women for the part.
“We’re forgetting one little key element that really sold me on you during that first audition,” Romano said. When Heaton was vague about what she did, Romano told the audience that they don’t know what she was talking about.
“I kissed him!” Heaton replied.
“There was a part where it says, she kisses her husband,” Romano said about the script. “And every other actress just kind of mimed it. For some reason, she did it.”
Heaton was shocked to learn that none of the other women who auditioned did that.
Romano continued, “And when she walked out, I go, ‘That’s the one!’”
Heaton then went on to play Debra Barone for nine seasons of Everybody Loves Raymond.
