More than a decade after the finale of the hit NBC sitcom Friends, Joey Tribbiani’s signature, “How you doin’?” remains one of the most iconic catchphrases to ever come out of television and wedge itself into the vocabulary of millions. Having channeled womanizer and aspiring actor, Joey, for 12 years – 10 on Friends and two on the spin-off Joey – Matt LeBlanc has managed to turn the otherwise three simple words into the perfect icebreaker, and a gushy salute to the character that earned him international recognition and a slew of awards.
As is the case with many actors who find acclaim in popular long-running series, LeBlanc has seen Joey and his many foibles fuse into his own public persona. In private, however, the Massachusetts native, according to a number of sources, is so low-key and reserved – compared to Joey – that on a number of occasions, individuals have gone so far as to inquire about his disposition. This dichotomy between the real-life man and the larger-than-life on-screen character might often escape fans. Yet, it appears to have sustained LeBlanc through the five-year hiatus he withdrew into, after Joey came to an end.
During this time, LeBlanc continued to remain on fans’ radar as never-ending reruns of Friends ran on a myriad of TV stations across the globe. The acclaim and hype that streamed into LeBlanc’s life with just that one show – his breakthrough into entertainment – sharply contrasts with the grit of his humble beginnings. The son of an office manager and a mechanic, he pursued carpentry in high school, before taking off to New York at the age of 17 to try his luck in modelling and acting. He scored a 30-second Heinz Ketchup commercial that began a string of appearances in music videos, including Bon Jovi’s Miracle and Alanis Morrissette’s Walk Away, and films like Lookin’ Italian and Charlie’s Angels. Amid sporadic gigs, LeBlanc was reportedly left with only $11 to his name when he auditioned for Friends, which, 10 seasons later, conferred on him a “master’s degree in comedy” and a hefty well-deserved compensation, when, in 2002, the entire cast stuck together and famously negotiated as a unit with the network, each walking away with a mesmerizing 1 million dollars per episode. That meant over 22 million dollars per year, for each of the leads.
In 2011, after his discernible time off the screen came to an end, LeBlanc sashayed under the lights of a new show, Episodes. The Showtime comedy, created by Friends’ co-creator, David Crane, offers a peculiar parody of American show business, where LeBlanc plays, well, Matt LeBlanc. Endeavoring to resuscitate his faded acting career, the guy in front of the camera is affluent and cynical and brazen and cocky. He is not LeBlanc, but rather his alter ego, the blown-out perception audiences apparently have of him. Quite characteristically of the actor, LeBlanc does not worry about any confusion of where Joey ends and Matt begins. The increasingly sophisticated thespian is proud that his characterization of the lovable Joey has been so endearing and believable to fans.
Pushing 50, LeBlanc is eager to reveal even more layers of himself. In early 2016, he once again put himself into the unexpected and accepted the role of one of the new hosts of UK’s hit television show, Top Gear. In fact, LeBlanc is the first-ever American host of the massively popular British car program. Later the same year, he took his deadpan humor and acting chops to CBS’ Man with a Plan, presenting yet another televised version of LeBlanc. With Man with a Plan finishing its debut season, Top Gear returning with LeBlanc as the lead host, and Episodes entering its fifth and final season, Matt LeBlanc seems to be doin’ pretty darn fine.
Friends ran for ten very successful seasons before the show wrapped. After being with the same group of people for so long, and being part of such a successful show, were you ready for it to wrap?
Me personally, I still felt that the show had legs. I didn’t feel we were jumping the shark, as it was, you know? I felt like there was still life left in Friends. It was melancholy for sure. I mean, I learned a lot as an actor. I grew a lot. I learned a lot about sitcoms. I learned a lot about writing. We had fantastic writing on that show. I learned a lot [about] what it means to be in a true ensemble. It was really fun to be a part of, like being in an ensemble theatre group, you know? And we just put on a play every week. It was really fun.
We all supported one another and looked out for each other. It really was ... I mean, it sounds corny to say, but we really were all friends. We bickered here and there, and there were trouble spots here and there, but for the most part we all got along great, and stuck up for each other and stuck together. It was a successful experience. I mean, nobody knew when it started what Friends was going to become. Once it had become the phenomenon that it was… sometimes, I would pinch myself and say: ‘Is this really my job, jezz? Crazy!’
The show really did become a phenomenon, and on a global level. Were there times when the fame that came with being Joey on Friends became too much?
Too much? No, but it was definitely a fulltime job. When we were working, we were promoting it and stuff like that. So, it was a full-time gig, and we were on a sound stage all the time. So, there was not really a lot of being out and about, you know what I mean? And looking back on it now, gosh, it went by so fast, that 10-year block. We realized how famous we all were when [we] would venture out and do something. But, you know, ... It was a strange thing. There were only five people that kind of knew what I was going through, and it was the other actors on the show. It was hard for anyone to have sympathy for [the] things that were bothering us. You know what I mean? But I had sympathy for what they were going through and vice versa. But nobody else really could. And I do not blame them. I mean, from the outside, it just seems like an awesome thing. But at the end of the day, it was a job like any other job. There were days when, you know, you are tired and you don’t feel like going to work, but you gotta do it. But it was really fun, and I laughed my ass off for 10 years, but it was also a job. It was an education. It was a lot of things.
Having played a particular character for so long, has it been a challenge for you to separate Joey as the character, from who you are as a person?
My job as an actor is to make the character believable. So, at the end of the day, the people, the viewers, should believe that I am Joey. It should look seamless, you know? They should be able to watch it and go: ‘That is not acting. That is who he is.’ That is the actor’s job. So, if people believe that that is who I am, then I guess I have done my job. That is how I look at it.
If you could go back in time and speak to Matt LeBlanc when he was first starting Friends, what advice would you give him?
Umm... that is a good question. What would I tell him? I would tell him not to buy that Jaguar that he bought. (Laughs) Not to be a piece of shit (Laughs). Things like that, you know? I mean, I would not necessarily change the things that I have done in my past, it has kind of made me who I am today, and that is how I live my life. I feel like I can look in the mirror and hold my head up high.
Are you still close with any of the members of the cast? Do you keep in touch?
Yes, here and there. I mean, everybody is, you know, off doing different things and stuff. People are all around the world, doing different stuff. But, it is funny, I could not talk to them for a year or two and then put us in the same room and it’s like it was when we were all working together. You would find us huddled up in the corner, catching up and talking, having the same inside jokes, and that same short-hand dialog and laughing with each other. You know what I mean? We really were like siblings.
Were you guys ever nervous when major movie stars like Julia Roberts or Brad Pitt would guest star on the show, who were themselves probably quite nervous joining a tight knit cast like yourselves?
Yeah, it seems to me like the guest stars were more nervous than we were because there were six of us, you know? It was like sitting in with a band that is really tight. We could all kind of finish each other’s sentences, and then someone else would come in. And for us, it was exciting, not nervous, to get to play with these big, huge actors that would come in. To us, it was this little show we made in this building with no windows. It was when we went outside the building that it became what it became. But to us, Friends was always this, you leave your ego at the door, and you come on in, and the funniest idea wins.
Do you have any specific episodes that were your funniest, or that you can still watch and crack up?
The holiday episodes always make me laugh. It’s hard to remember, we did so many. I cannot remember, like, what the story lines were and any particular ones. I just remember funny things that happened, like the one after the Super Bowl, that was funny because we were all involved. And the holiday ones tended to have less of a guest cast. It was just all of us together, and those always seemed to me to be the strongest episodes, when there was the six of us involved in one story.
Do you remember the episode where Joey was at the beach, trying to dig out a really deep hole in the sand, and the ocean kept filling it in? Poor Joey was horrified: “My hole! My hole!”
(Laughs) Yeah, it is funny how art imitates life sometimes. When I was a kid, that was what I did at the beach - just start digging. I do not know why, but they did not get that idea from me. It was just a coincidence, but that is what I used to do at the beach when I was a kid. Same with my cousins – instead of building sand castles, we would just dig a giant hole.
Did you feel any pressure coming from an ensemble cast in Friends, where everybody shared the responsibility as leads of the show, to Joey, where you were largely responsible for the sitcom?
Yeah, there was a lot of pressure on Joey, but I did not feel more pressure on me. You know, I had been playing that character for 10 years, so we went straight into doing it. I was, you know, I was prepared. It was a bigger workload, more lines to remember, but besides from that … I mean, from about the third season of Friends, it was high pressure every day. So, I am kind of used to that. I am used to when I go to work, it is about pressure situations. So, you kind of learn to function in that environment.
You have a daughter [Marina Pearl LeBlanc]. How old is she now?
She will be 13 next month.
You are on the cusp of entering the teen years. What are your favorite things about being a dad?
Well, being the father of a little girl who is about to become a teenager is absolutely horrifying. But luckily, I have a step-daughter and a step-son and my step-son is 25 and my step-daughter is 22, so I have kind of been through it, so I kind of know a bit of what to expect and I think ... You know, for me, the thing I like most about being a parent is that look in your child’s eyes that [shows] they need you. And being there for them when they need you, and knowing that when they need you, they know they can count on you: ‘Daddy will make it better. Daddy will fix it.’ You know, it is like ‘Daddy, I have a flat tire on my bike.’ ‘Alright, come on, we will fix the flat tire.’ Or ‘Daddy, my bike is making a weird noise.’ or ‘Daddy, can you take care of this.’ or ‘Daddy, I am afraid of this.’ or ‘Daddy, what does this mean?’ You know what I mean? And you are just there. You are just like a sounding board for life for them.
Have you learned a lot about yourself from being a dad?
Oh, yeah. I mean, you learn as you watch your children grow. You sort of learn about ... You learn the things in life that as an adult you take for granted. The things that you ... the little everyday things that they are experiencing for the first time, that you take for granted, and you do not pay much attention to them anymore: You kind of look at the world with youthful eyes again. And it is a great experience when you share things with them that you have gone through before, but you have not gone through for a long time.
How does she handle having a dad who is a celebrity?
She is pretty laid-back about it. I tend to keep her out of [celebrity]. Every now and then, I will take her to something or expose her to that, but I try to stay away from that. I want her to have a normal kind of life like I had. I think that the best way for her to discover what she wants to do with her life is to have a normal background – well as normal as I can provide, I guess.
Well, you are living an extraordinary life, Matt.
Yeah, from the outside it may look like that, but you know, I wash the dishes and stub my toe. There are days when I don’t want to get out of bed and … you know what I mean? I burn the eggs or bacon sometimes in the morning. I am just a regular guy. She does not see the famous side so much. She just sees me, her dad.
Do you live in LA or do you spend more time at your ranch?
I try to get there as much as I can. But lately I have been so busy, I have not been able to get up there as much as I like. But, yeah, it is my favorite place in the world.
After Joey was cancelled, you took a bit of a hiatus for, what, five years?
Well, my intention was to take a year off, but I was having such a good time doing nothing that it turned into five years or six years.
Were you worried at all that that could stall your career?
Oh, no! That was what I was hoping for.
In what way?
I was just burned out. I didn’t want to work anymore. I wanted to take some time off and then, in taking time off, I was like ... My daughter was really young then, and we spent a lot of time together. She was not really in school yet, so we would go to the ranch for big blocks of time and play with the horses and the cows, and all that kind of stuff. I had my mother come out and spend time with her. You know what I mean? It was a great time.
So, what made you decide to go back to work?
David Crane and Jeffrey Klarik called me about Episodes and pitched me the idea, and asked if I was interested. I love those guys – they are brilliant. And, so, I said, ‘Yeah, ok.’ And it was not going to be a full network commitment. It was only seven episodes in the first season. We were to shoot in London – it sounded exiting. I really liked the way that they work, and how they have a very, very clear vision of what they want. The fact that they chose me for it, I was really flattered and honored and I wanted to do a good job for them. And, I had enough time away from work that I kind of came at it with fresh eyes. It was fun. I am really proud of [the] show. Episodes is great. Season five is going to premiere this summer.
Season five is its final season, is that right?
That is right, yeah
You are currently juggling several things at a go?
Well, I did season five [of Episodes] in London while I was doing Top Gear. And we finished that and I came back and we shot the pilot for Man with a Plan, and then I went back to finish Top Gear. And now, I am doing Man with a Plan in LA and Top Gear all over the world at the same time. I just got back last night from Dubai and had a table read today for Man with a Plan. (Laughs).
That is insane.
My schedule is ... I was in Dubai for three days. We shot there for Top Gear and I was back. I was in London for a day or two, and Dubai for three days, then Oman for a day, then back to Dubai for two hours, and then back to London for one day, and I am back here. You know, I am not looking for any sympathy but my schedule since August has been f**king berserk. (Laughs)
How do you manage to juggle all that and still be a dad to Marina?
That is hard, yeah. But you know what, I know guys that have kids that, you know, are still married and they go to their job ... They get up in the morning and they leave before the kids get up for school, they are gone out of the house all day, and do not get home until the kids are just about ready to go to bed. They do not see their kids, and they live in the same house and they do not travel out of town. When I am off, I am off. You know, when I am with her, I am with her. So, it is not as bad as it sounds.
When I am in town, doing Man with a Plan, because it is a sitcom schedule, it is just one long day with rehearsals during the week. It is only one late night. She is in school now, so I am usually home when she gets home from school, and we hang out, do homework and cook dinner, hang out and she goes to bed. And when we get up, we have breakfast together and then I go to work. It is a little more civilized schedule. It is about the most civilized schedule you can have as an actor.
You are Top Gear’s first non-British host. What’s the back-story? How did the gig even come up?
Well, I had gone on Top Gear as a guest to promote episodes, and I had the fastest lap time. When they got a new car a year later, they asked me, since I held the record, if I would come back and see if I could beat my old record in a new car. So, I did that, and then they were doing this thing called Top Gear The Races, about a year after that, and asked whether I would come and host it, just do the wrap arounds for it, which was kind [of] like the greatest hits album from Top Gear. It introduced all these films that they did where they were all free racing each other. And that went good. Then, Jeremy Clarkson left and then [Richard] Hammond and [James] May left with him, and they were looking for hosts, and they approached me and asked if I would be interested in doing it. And we, you know, we put a deal together and a schedule. I had Episodes going on and I was going to do Man with a Plan after that. But we were able to work it all out and I sat down with my team and, you know, really looked at it and said, ‘Is this doable?’ And I looked at it and I was like, ‘Yeah, I can do it. I can do it.’ And here I am, you know, a year and a half later or whatever it is, into it and I am exhausted. (Laughs)
But, I am still having fun. It is kind of like ... Because it is so different than a sitcom. A sitcom is like solving a riddle every week, and getting the story right, and what is funny – this or that? Is it funnier if I had, say, ... with a glass in my hand, or I put the glass down. We rehearse all week and then do, like a play, in front of an audience. It is really fun. And Top Gear is making these high energy adventure movies, these short films that are anywhere from 7 minutes to 30 minutes long, and then they all get bundled into one-hour episodes. And then you go in the studio and just kind of tie all the films together. It is something that I am passionate about – cars.
Were you nervous at all about filling Jeremy Clarkson’s shoes?
No. See, I don’t look at it as filling any shoes. I am not him and he is not me. I think he is great. I am a huge fan. I love those three guys. They were awesome. And I watch their new show and I think that it is good. But I think there is room in this world for more than one car show, you know? Top Gear is a brand that was around before Clarkson, May and Hammond. It has been around for 25 years or so. They weren’t the first hosts.
What about how the British audience would receive you, being American?
Not really. I mean, look, you can’t think about things like that. First of all, you can’t please all the people, all the time, so there will be some people that are not into it. And there are. I have read some of the tweets and stuff on social media calling me a yank and [telling me] to ‘go home,’ and all that stuff. But then, there are other people who say that they love what I am doing. I am having a good time. You know, I think I can bring comedy to the show in a fresh way that has not been done before; not that it was not funny before – those guys did some really funny stuff. But my type of comedy is a little different than theirs. And they left. I didn’t kick them out. If they were still on the show, I would be still watching it. You know what I mean?
Has there been a lot of negative critique toward you joining the show?
Oh sure, there’s been both negative and positive and everything in between. I mean, some of it was hard to miss. It was all over the tabloids - the whole Cenotaph thing. I did exactly what was on the call sheet. We had permits for everything, we did not go off the reservation once, so I do not know what everybody was talking about. Everybody was demanding an apology from me, and I felt like I did not do anything wrong. We did not do anything in front of the Cenotaph. We drove by it. It is on a public road, [and we had] permission to drive by it.
(LeBlanc and a stunt driver performed wheel spinning and burning rubber stunts in a Ford Mustang just yards from Britain’s Cenotaph, which is Britain’s main war memorial on Whitehall. The pictures and video of the stunt that appeared online sparked fury from politicians and fans who considered the stunt disrespectful. The BBC noted that they had received both council and police approval prior to shooting the scene.)
What has been your favorite, the most thrilling vehicle that you have gotten to test drive?
Well, last year we did a film on the Porsche 911 R – that is a phenomenal car. That is a great machine. I really enjoyed driving the Ariel Nomad, that orange buggy in the desert in Morocco – that was fun. We did a film this year on the new Aston Martin DB11 – that was cool. I just rode the new Ducati Superleggera, they are super lightweight, super bike in Oman through the mountains – that was an incredible experience. I have been a Ducati fan for a long time and that was the bike that was in the film that we just did in Dubai and Oman – that was fun.
I drove some junky old cars, too. I drove a 1997 Mercedes E Class diesel with half a million miles on it and that was kind of fun. That was in Kazakhstan. I really liked that Rolls Royce Dawn that I drove last year. That is a great car.
There must be a lot of safety precautions to adhere to, especially when doing some of the speed driving?
Oh, yeah. Any time that we are going fast, it is on a closed road. We have the police close the road; there is no other traffic on the road. And when we do not have the road closed, we have safety meetings and we adhere to the speed limit. There are all kinds of precautions that we take. It is not as, you know, loose and crazy as it looks. That is all part of the show – to make it look like that. There are safety briefings and measures and ambulances standing by just in case something goes wrong.
What should fans of the show expect in the coming season?
I think that this coming season of Top Gear will be better than last year because it has a new direction. Chris Evans had creative control last year and he has resigned. So now, Alex Renton is in charge and I really believe in Alex. I think he is the right guy to be the creative lead on the show. He is the one that is sort of behind it all now. And I have input. Then, I think Chris Harris is dynamite – he belongs there. I think it is good this year. It was good last year, too. I was proud. We did some great stuff last year.
The thing about Top Gear is that it is first and foremost a car show. But it is also a comedy and it is also a travel show and it is also a culture show. You can go and travel around the world with [the] car culture, have a few laughs, and kind of travel the world from the comfort of your own home. That is what Top Gear is. It is a little bit of everything. It is entertainment. We want to try to service the technically oriented crowd, but also service [and] put it in layman’s terms so that other people that are not as, you know, geeky about cars, can enjoy it as well. And, hopefully, you learn something about cars in a fun way.
Where does your passion for automobiles come from?
You know, when I was growing up, I was just always fascinated by cars. Maybe, part of it was that ... you know, when we would go somewhere, my grandfather would be driving. That was what the man did. The man drove. I wanted to emulate the people that I idolized, which were my grandfathers. So, maybe that was a part of it. And, I just always liked cars. My dad was a mechanic, so he usually had something to park. Both of my grandfathers were very hands-on, taking stuff apart, fixing stuff. I remember being really little, my grandfather had a ride-on lawn mower, the kind you can drive. I wanted so desperately to drive that thing. And, when I was finally big enough to reach the pedals, he let me cut the grass. It was really fun, until I realized that it was actually a chore, and then I was like, ‘I don’t wanna do this [anymore].’ (Laughs)
I know you have a few cars. What do you own?
I am a Porsche guy. I like Porsche. I like the 911. That is fun. If I am to buy a Porsche, it is gonna be a 911.
Why? What about it?
It is just an iconic shape. It is a design; it is a car that has been honed for what is it, 54 – 55 years now, making that same car. There are not too many manufacturers that make the same car over and over and over again, which is the Corvette, the Camaro, the Mustang. You know, a lot of companies tend not to have the same model that runs the history of the company like Porsche does. And the 911 has evolved from what was just a basic grass-roots kind of lightweight sports car to a world-class super car, if you ask me.
Before all the fame and money came, what was the worst car that you had ever owned?
I had an Audi 5000 Quattro, which was ... It was not terrible, but it was not great. It was alright.
An Audi was your worst car to ever own?
I bought it second-hand. I’ve never had like, a real piece of junk, junk car. I wouldn’t get a car like that. You know, I would not ... I have had some old trucks and stuff, but fixed them up and got them running good and took care of them. They were nice, fun to drive, decent cars. I have never had something that barely runs and let me down all the time. It is not my thing. I would not own something like that, even when I was broke.
You are a big motorbike fan, as well. Do you have preference between bikes and cars?
I have not been asked that before. I like both about equally. I am better on a bike than I am in a car, although I spend a lot more time in cars these days because of the show. I do like cars. I have a few cars but ... it is kind of 50-50 for me these days. It used to be bikes more than cars. But nowadays, maybe because I am getting older, I am 50. Shit. I will be 50 this summer.
Does that freak you out, turning 50?
I am trying not to think about it. (Laughs)
Have you had any mid-life crisis experience since you turned 40?
I do not think so. No, although you can ask my friends. They might have a different opinion on that. I think when you have a mid-life crisis, nobody admits it, right? ‘No, that is not what that was. I just thought it was a good deal, that is why I bought that.’ (Laughs)
Comedy has been your forte. But do you have any desire to do anything more dramatic?
I don’t know. I really like comedy. I really do. I mean, that is ... I am the first guy to crack a joke at a funeral. When things get really heavy and dramatic and sad, I try to lift the mood. I don’t like to go to those places. Like, I think I would hate to be on a show where I have to be upset all the time, super serious. When I have looked at dramatic things before, and I have done some dramatic stuff, in the heavy scenes where it is dramatic, I am always thinking, ‘What if we do this? Would this be funny?’ and directors are like, ‘No, you can’t do that. It’s not supposed to be funny.’ And I am like, ‘Yeah, but it will be fun to do that.’ To me, a comedy is every bit of a drama, plus the fact that it has to be funny. You are still telling a story, you are still playing the relationships. You still have to deal with the conflict and the resolution. But it also has to be funny. So, it is every bit of drama, plus one additional layer, which is the funny. So, people say comedy is easy, you know. It is not as serious, it is not as ... It’s harder than it looks.
What do you feel defines who Matt LeBlanc is?
My family, my friends, how I treat the people around it. You know what I mean? To me, [acting] is just a job. That’s what it is. That is all it will ever be for me. It will not be the thing that defines my life. I would rather see when I die, on my tombstone: ‘He was a good dad and a good friend and a good son’ versus ‘He was an awesome actor.’
You are turning 50 and have a daughter turning 13. You are at the cross over to a whole new stage of life. What does this next stage look like for you?
I kind of take it day by day, try to be thankful for everyday that I have, try to be good to the people around me, the people I care about, try to be a good friend, a good dad, a good son to my mother, try to be supportive to my friends, be a shoulder to cry on if need be, try not to be a burden. And try to do my best when I am at work and keep my head on and never phone it in. You know, I was raised with a good work ethic. Everyone in my family is blue-collar. Everyone goes to work with some kind of tool in their hand and that was kind of how I was raised. You know, I go to work with work ethic and I am going to work hard today. And whether that means I need to think hard because the script has a problem and the story is not quite right; or this scene is not quite working and I have to try to figure out how to unlock it; or I have to work harder to try to come up with a better idea for this … Or if it takes a long time to shoot, to maintain my energy all day. Whatever the task is, I am there, you can count on me.
What did your parents think when you made a decision to pursue acting?
My mother thought I was crazy. (Laughs)
What is next for Matt?
You know, I am having a good time doing Man with a Plan. The ratings are good. We have a full season order and will hopefully get picked up this year and do that for a while. That is a show that my daughter can watch - it is a family show. So, it is like the next sort of progressive move for me to play that – it is fun.
