Joey Tribbiani Almost Looked Very Different on ‘Friends’
No television series boasts a cast as iconic, memorable, and beloved as Friends, as the popular sitcom established itself as a juggernaut for a generation of television. The series cemented the ‘friends just hanging out’ mold that would come to define the genre for many years, with shows like How I Met Your Mother and New Girl taking inspiration from the series, and sometimes being regarded as the Friends for their generation. The greatest contributing factor to the series’ success was the stellar performances and chemistry of its ensemble cast, with characters that perfectly complemented one another for endless situational hilarity. It’s hard to imagine any of those characters being played by anyone else as the cast firmly established their personas, but the casting process was long and there were many names considered for the parts. Joey Tribbiani, the suave and caring womanizer of the group, required a performer capable of balancing all of his best personality traits —which Matt LeBlanc managed to do with great success. However, before LeBlanc was cast, there were two other actors who auditioned for the role that would have immeasurably changed the dynamic of the entire series.
Hank Azaria Auditioned Twice for the Role of Joey in ‘Friends’
The wide-reaching search for the Friends cast reached the hilarious actor, Hank Azaria. In an interview on The Late Late Show, Azaria spoke with James Corden about his attempts — yes, attempts plural — to get cast as Joey Tribbiani. Azaria shared that he was close friends with Matthew Perry, who played Chandler Bing, and the two read the script and understood that the show was going to be great. Azaria auditioned for the role of Joey, but didn’t get it. However, he was undeterred and earnestly wanted to be a part of the show, so he found his way to a second chance but was ultimately still rejected.
Though Azaria’s multiple auditions for a main cast role on Friends weren’t fruitful, he nonetheless got an opportunity to be featured on the show. In the first season, Azaria is introduced as David, a stuttering but sweet scientist who is in a romantic relationship with the eccentric Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow). Unfortunately, their romance on Friends was short-lived as David left for Minsk for his work, leaving him absent from the show for several seasons. He would eventually return for a short time in Season 7 before making another, more impactful appearance in Season 9. By the penultimate season of the show, Phoebe is in a relationship with Mike Hannigan (Paul Rudd), though the two briefly break up because the former wants to get married while the latter does not. David’s return, unfortunately for him, only confirms that Mike wants to be with Phoebe, and Phoebe wants to be with Mike. So, despite David’s own attempt to propose to the cheerful guitarist, she ends up agreeing to marry Mike instead.
Vince Vaughn Was Considered for the Part of Joey Tribbiani
Azaria wasn’t the only notable performer who could have possibly played Joey on the show. In an interview with HuffPost, the series casting director Ellie Kanner spoke about the process of finding and choosing the ensemble cast, mentioning a name that has become notable in the comedy scene despite not getting this part. Vince Vaughn was one of the names on the list considered to play Joey, but this was years before Vaughn established himself as a big name. It was still the early 90s before Vaughn had his true breakout roles in films like Wedding Crashers and Dodgeball. Kanner recalled her thought process about not going with Vaughn, noting that even though he was tall, handsome, and a good actor, “he just didn’t fit the way Matt LeBlanc ended up fitting.”
Matt LeBlanc Brought Endearing Charm and Heart As Joey, Even Getting a Spinoff Show
Of course, the iconic role of Joey Tribbiani eventually went to the irreplaceable Matt LeBlanc and looking back, it truly feels like no one else could have played the role. Though Azaria joked in his interview with Corden that he, “imagined himself as Joey a lot,” few can dispute that LeBlanc was a match made in heaven for the role and the group. Like all the characters on the show, Joey had multiple facets to his personality that LeBlanc was able to portray with endearing charm. Even though he was a bit of a playboy, Joey remained charming rather than creepy, and while he was more dim-witted than his peers, he was often able to share moments of unexpected wisdom. Perhaps most importantly, LeBlanc was able to bring heart to the character, whose loyalty and care for his friends defined him more than anything else. LeBlanc’s chemistry with the rest of the cast was top-notch, helping to create the funniest duo on the series with Joey and Chandler.
