For the non-titular lead roles of Everybody Loves Raymond, casting director Lisa Miller chose actors with previous professional experience in acting, such as Patricia Heaton and Brad Garrett, who made several appearances in sitcoms before; and Doris Roberts and Peter Boyle, both film actors.
Everybody Loves Raymond was Heaton's fourth lead role in a sitcom after the short-lived Room for Two (1992–1993), Some Like Me (1994), and Women of the House (1995).
When she read the pilot script during pilot season, she thought it was "beautifully written" although found the character of Debra uninteresting.
Miller explained that she had to "Taft-Hartley" Romano, who didn't have much acting experience before Everybody Loves Raymond, in order to get around legal Screen Actors Guild requirements to star in the show.
He also needed trainers to make sure he performed the character of a likable protagonist well.

Garrett was the first actor to be cast after Romano, as well as the only actor to audition without Romano in the room.
Garrett explained that while CBS initially wanted a small, Danny DeVito-esque character who had a "bulldog" attitude towards Raymond, he, a much taller actor, portrayed Robert as more "beaten-down" and "succumb to the fact that he's a loser" when auditioning.

For the auditions of Heaton, Boyle, and Roberts, they were in the moods of the characters in the scenes they performed, and their auditions were very quick.
Heaton was in the middle of getting-by doing babysitting work and clipping coupons when auditioning, making her very stressed.
Miller chose Heaton for the role of Debra for being "very focused, real, like Helen Hunt in Mad About You."
Boyle, 
an actor recommended for Frank by Moonves, had a troublesome time getting to his audition location due to schedule changes and poor directions, which made him very grumpy and "in character" when he arrived.
Rosenthal admitted to casting Boyle “out of fear” in response to Boyle's bitter attitude.
Roberts was called by the casting team for the role of Marie after going through more than 100 actresses.
She was initially reluctant to audition due to being busy with directing a 23-character play, but her agents insisted she had time; an "overwhelmed" Roberts did zero preparation, which was unusual for her, and performed her audition from her "gut reaction."
For the non-titular lead roles of Everybody Loves Raymond, casting director Lisa Miller chose actors with previous professional experience in acting, such as Patricia Heaton and Brad Garrett, who made several appearances in sitcoms before; and Doris Roberts and Peter Boyle, both film actors. Everybody Loves Raymond was Heaton's fourth lead role in a sitcom after the short-lived Room for Two (1992–1993), Some Like Me (1994), and Women of the House (1995). When she read the pilot script during pilot season, she thought it was "beautifully written" although found the character of Debra uninteresting. Miller explained that she had to "Taft-Hartley" Romano, who didn't have much acting experience before Everybody Loves Raymond, in order to get around legal Screen Actors Guild requirements to star in the show. He also needed trainers to make sure he performed the character of a likable protagonist well.
Garrett was the first actor to be cast after Romano, as well as the only actor to audition without Romano in the room. Garrett explained that while CBS initially wanted a small, Danny DeVito-esque character who had a "bulldog" attitude towards Raymond, he, a much taller actor, portrayed Robert as more "beaten-down" and "succumb to the fact that he's a loser" when auditioning.
For the auditions of Heaton, Boyle, and Roberts, they were in the moods of the characters in the scenes they performed, and their auditions were very quick. Heaton was in the middle of getting-by doing babysitting work and clipping coupons when auditioning, making her very stressed. Miller chose Heaton for the role of Debra for being "very focused, real, like Helen Hunt in Mad About You." Boyle, 
an actor recommended for Frank by Moonves, had a troublesome time getting to his audition location due to schedule changes and poor directions, which made him very grumpy and "in character" when he arrived. Rosenthal admitted to casting Boyle “out of fear” in response to Boyle's bitter attitude. Roberts was called by the casting team for the role of Marie after going through more than 100 actresses. She was initially reluctant to audition due to being busy with directing a 23-character play, but her agents insisted she had time; an "overwhelmed" Roberts did zero preparation, which was unusual for her, and performed her audition from her "gut reaction."
Everybody Loves Raymond