Matt LeBlanc was a fan-favorite Friends character as Joey Tribbiani, but the actor didn’t initially win over the sitcom’s creators during the casting process. The actor later attained a solo spinoff, Joey, when the main series came to an end in 2004, which is interesting considering the hesitation for his involvement years prior. Joey was introduced as the struggling actor who lived across the hall from Monica. After taking in Chandler as a roommate, Joey threw himself further into the lives of the core group of characters.
Over the course of the ten seasons of Friends, Joey was portrayed as the loveable goofball who was a bit dim-witted at times. He often got himself stuck in odd situations but always found a way out because of his charm. Joey was no stranger to the dating world and could have been the biggest womanizer on the series. For a brief time, he even dated Rachel, which still remains a head-scratcher to fans. After years of ups and downs centering on his career, Joey finally got an opportunity in acting that took him to Los Angeles.
Joey will always be LeBlanc’s most memorable role to date, but that was nearly not the case. Hank Azaria (The Simpsons) really wanted the role of Joey - so much so that the actor auditioned two separate times. He wasn’t deemed a fit for the part, but he later appeared in Friends for a short stint as Phoebe’s love interest, David the Scientist Guy. Vince Vaughn also auditioned for Joey, and the casting director felt like he was a stellar actor but not for what was envisioned for the specific role. LeBlanc was then chosen, but it wasn’t immediately supported by the show’s creators, David Crane and Marta Kauffman.
Before Friends premiered in 1994, many changes were made to the original vision including the characters’ personalities, the dynamic of the core group, and the title of the series. Crane and Kauffman had an idea of who they wanted Joey to be, but in the beginning, they didn’t see LeBlanc as a match. The actor portrayed Joey as someone with a simple mind but a lot of heart in the audition process. They acknowledged the changes he made to the character, but they weren’t won over.
It wasn’t until NBC stepped in and demanded Friends cast LeBlanc did he acquire the part. The network saw the actor as something special, and the creators began to realize that Joey’s lack of common sense could be the source of many comedic moments. They eventually supported the casting and never looked back. Joey then emerged as one of the most entertaining characters with the humor he brought and his amusing catchphrases. NBC’s faith carried on when LeBlanc was given the spinoff, Joey, which followed his journey across the country. The series only lasted two seasons, but just the fact that it existed proved that his casting over a decade before was the right choice.
Next: Friends Had A Great Hidden Callback To Joey’s Most Humiliating Job
