With Joey Tribbiani, Matt LeBlanc played the role of a lifetime: even though the completely tailored spin-off ‘Joey’ could not build on the success of 2004’s ‘Friends’ (and was quickly canceled), his fans connect in the first place with him with the good-natured, naive womanizer. Besides the fact that the role perfectly showcased his comedic talent, this is probably also because that LeBlanc’s film career never really took off – and that he also turned down the lead role in another cult sitcom!
In the late 2000s, the 56-year-old was offered to play Phil Dunphy in ‘Modern Family’ – the role that instead saw Ty Burrell go from constant supporting actor to popular TV star. But as LeBlanc in the interview with revealed, he felt that the strange father figure did not suit him and his abilities.
“I remember reading it and thinking it was a very good script,” said the actor, who appeared in three episodes of “A Terrific Nice Family” before his success with “Friends.” “But I’m not the type of person for that. I would be doing the project an injustice if I accepted the role. I know what I can do and I know what I can’t do. Besides, I enjoy lying on the couch too much.”
Sitcom fans would have loved to know what kind of character Phil Dunphy would have become if LeBlanc had put his stamp on it. Then again, he played Joey for a decade, which would have run the risk that “Modern Family” audiences wouldn’t see Phil as an independent character — so maybe LeBlanc made the right decision after all.
Matt LeBlanc wanted his agent to lose his number
In conversation with has the “Charlie’s angelsstar also admitted that he needed a break anyway – which is why he didn’t think too long about whether to give in to his enthusiasm for the ‘Modern Family’ script. “I was burned out,” LeBlanc says. “I didn’t want to have a schedule, not have to go anywhere. And I was in a position where I could do that. My agent was quite annoyed. Most actors call their agent and say, “What’s going on?” I called mine and said, ‘Please lose my number for a few years.'”
Matt LeBlanc even completely withdrew from the spotlight between 2006 and 2011. Between 2011 and 2017, he appeared in the Golden Globe-winning sitcom ‘Episodes’, and in 2021 he reprized the role of Joey Tribbiani for the special ‘Friends: The Reunion’.