Regardless of whether or not you are a fan of the television show Friends, you are probably familiar with Joey Tribbiani and the guy who plays Matt LeBlanc. Even after the long-running sitcom ended, Matt LeBlanc continued to play Joey in the spin-off series Joey. However, despite appearances, the actor was not pleased with the experience.
Playing the same part for an extended period of time can be mentally and physically exhausting. Not only physically, but also psychologically. Your thoughts may be muddled by the need to please the audience that has been watching you for a long time, and as a result, you may not grasp this truth right once.
Together with his Friends co-stars, LeBlanc earned one of the highest salaries in television history. So, why did LeBlanc disappear once the Joey television show was canceled?
Many people were perplexed by the fact that LeBlanc had not been cast in any roles. After all, he has a terrific sense of humor and is a fantastic performer. Fans had no notion that Matt LeBlanc had always meant to take a break and that this was his intention all along.
LeBlanc says in a recently uncovered interview with The Mirror that he had reached his breaking point after spending the entire year not only working but also playing the same character.
LeBlanc opens up:
“I barely ever traveled outside the bounds of my home for years and years. I was completely exhausted. I didn’t want to be bound by a schedule or forced to go anyplace.”
After working so hard for such a long period of time, one certainly deserves some downtime! Unfortunately, LeBlanc also showed signs of despair. He went on to say that it was a “really dark moment” for him and that he was on the verge of a mental breakdown.
When you think that LeBlanc had been playing the same character for the past 12 years, I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been for him to reinvent himself for a new role.
At the same time, Cinemablend says that the actor was going through a divorce with Melissa McKnight, and that his daughter Marina was diagnosed with cortical dysplasia around the same time.
After Joey ended in 2006, LeBlanc did not return to television until the debut of Web Therapy in 2013. Lovesick was released in 2014, followed by Episodes from 2011 to 2017, and Man with a Plan from 2016 to 2020. We’re not sure where we’ll see him next, but we can’t wait to find out!
