After Friends star Matt LeBlanc made his name on the set of the world’s most iconic sitcom,
he retreated from the spotlight for a long six years.
When he returned, he landed two more hugely popular shows, but his life hasn't all been
dancing in fountains with his pals.
Humble beginnings
Much like the character for which he’s best known, LeBlanc had to work hard to find his
big break.
He moved to New York City when he was a teenager and attempted a career in modelling, but turned
to acting after it became clear he was too short for that particular industry.
LeBlanc kept the lights on with a few commercial spots for brands such as Coca-Cola and Heinz
Ketchup in the late '80s and early '90s.
“Hot dog, please!"
"You want mustard on that?"
"No thanks.
I've got it covered."
"Heinz Tomato Ketchup.
The best things come to those who wait.”
He was also able to wrangle some work on music videos, starring in the videos for Jon Bon
Jovi's "Miracle" and Alanis Morissette's "Walk Away”.
He also cut his acting teeth on Married… With Children and its spin-offs Top of the
Heap and Vinnie & Bobby.
The experience on those sitcoms was clearly useful, according to the show’s producers,
when he finally stepped into his fateful audition for Friends, he nailed it on the first try.
Shallow pockets
LeBlanc might have been able to round up a respectable amount of work in commercials
and TV guest spots before he landed his steady role on Friends, but his bank account told
a different story.
Although he would later command the kind of salary seriously worth bragging about, around
$100 million dollars or more total, according to him, he walked into the series with very
little to show for his growing resume.
LeBlanc told The Independent that:
"Friends, when it came my way, was my fourth TV series, and the other three had failed.
I had exactly $11 in my pocket the day I was hired.”
His initial financial straits were so severe that he said his mother tried to convince
him to give it all up when she once visited his shabby place in the city.
According to LeBlanc:
"I was living in a cheap hotel which was dank and nasty.
Junkies and hookers were all over the place when she came to visit for the weekend.
I remember the look on her face and she said, 'Oh, please come home.
Give this up.
You won't make it.'"
Typecast
One of many the downsides of playing a character so many people know and love is that fans
tend to expect the actor portraying him or her to behave the same way as their on screen
counterpart, and Joey Tribbiani was a notorious yet lovable doofus.
"Bleh de la bleh de bloo blah bleh!"
LeBlanc, however, is anything but.
He told The Guardian:
"People will speak slowly to me sometimes, and they always ask me if I'm alright, because
I'm much more low-key and reserved than my character in Friends.
They think that I'm depressed, or I'm sad, or upset, but I'm just not amped up to go
out in front of an audience and do a TV show.
That's not who I am."
The hiatus
After Joey was cancelled in 2006, LeBlanc decided to take a little time off from Hollywood
to recuperate from the stresses of living in the spotlight.
What was supposed to be a temporary break, however, eventually became an extended hiatus
due to how much he enjoyed being away from the public eye.
“When that was over I just, I said I dont, I don't wanna go do anything, for, I wanna
take at least a year and not do anything and that turned into 6 years I was enjoying myself.”
It wasn't until he got a call from Friends producer David Crane that he decided to get
back into the game.
Making a comeback
In 2011, LeBlanc made a triumphant return to television by starring as himself in the
Showtime comedy series Episodes, after the series was pitched to him by Crane.
And while LeBlanc was initially hesitant to take the job, he trusted Crane and co-creator
Jeffrey Klarik enough to go along with it.
He told Variety:
"It was because of my history with them that I really felt comfortable.
I don't know that I would have played that part with someone that I had a new relationship
with.
It was because of the trust that I said OK.
I felt safe in their hands."
LeBlanc still had to get used to the idea that he was not only playing an exaggerated
version of himself in the series, but that he was also poking fun at his own image.
“And so what you want me for the old fat guy's part?
Thanks."
"We don't want you."
"Again, thanks.”
In an interview with IndieWire, he explained,
"People would ask me, 'Are you worried people will think that's what you're really like?'
I got past that early on because the writing was good, and I didn't mind being the butt
of the joke because the joke was good."
On-set dramas
Matt LeBlanc's time on Friends was not without drama.
The cast famously made waves when they joined forces to negotiate a higher salary in the
final season of the show, and there were constantly rumors of cast hookups, substance abuse issues
and more.
His stint on the reality motoring series Top Gear was also fraught with difficulties after
allegations of sexual misconduct were levied against his co-host Chris Evans.
LeBlanc reportedly threatened to walk unless Evans departed the show.
While Evans would later fiercely praise LeBlanc for his work on the series, the latter showed
little love for Evans in return after he left.
According to the BBC, LeBlanc himself would later depart the series in 2018 due to the
time commitment and extensive travel.