So, you're curious about how old Matt LeBlanc was when Friends started, huh? Well, grab a coffee, get comfy, 'cause we're about to dive into a tale of '90s TV magic, a time when dial-up internet was the norm, and Ross's divorce was the biggest drama around.
Rewind to 1994
Picture this: It's 1994, the year of the Macarena, the OJ Simpson trial, and the first-ever episode of Friends. Matt LeBlanc, our beloved Joey Tribbiani, was a fresh-faced 27-year-old, just a baby in Hollywood years. Yes, you heard it right, folks! Matt was in his late twenties when he started playing a character who was supposed to be in his early twenties. Talk about life imitating art, or was it the other way around?
Now, you might be thinking, "But wait, wasn't Joey supposed to be a struggling actor? How could Matt pull off playing a struggling actor when he was practically a Hollywood veteran?" Well, my friend, let me tell you, Matt was no stranger to the small screen. He had already made appearances in shows like Married... with Children and Top of the Heap, not to mention a few movies here and there. But hey, who's counting?
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From Struggling Actor to TV Icon
So, there Matt was, a 27-year-old playing a 20-something struggling actor, living in a cramped apartment with his best friend, and eating pizza like it was going out of style. Little did he know that in a few short years, he'd be a TV icon, and Joey's love for sandwiches would become the stuff of legends.
But let's not forget the rest of the gang. Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer were all in their late twenties as well. Can you even imagine? A whole cast of late-twenty-somethings playing early-twenty-somethings. It's like they were all in some sort of late-twenties time warp!
Friends (1994)
Age is Just a Number
Now, you might be wondering, "How did they get away with it? How did they convince us all that they were just out of college, struggling to make it in the big city?" Well, my friends, the answer is simple: They were just that good. They had us believing that Ross was still pining over his high school sweetheart, that Rachel was still trying to figure out what she wanted to do with her life, and that Joey was still trying to land that big acting gig.
And let's not forget the hair. Oh, the hair. Rachel's iconic 'do, Monica's layered cut, Ross's '90s side part - it was all so convincing. If that's not proof that they were nailing their roles, I don't know what is.
Friends cast then and now - Irish Mirror Online
From Then to Now
So, there you have it. Matt LeBlanc was 27 when Friends started, and the rest, as they say, is history. The show ran for ten seasons, and while the characters might have aged in real life, on screen, they stayed frozen in time, forever young, forever friends.
And what about Matt? Well, he's all grown up now, turning 54 in 2022. He's still acting, still making us laugh, and still looking pretty great for a guy who's been around the block a few times. But hey, when you've got the humor of Joey Tribbiani and the charm of Matt LeBlanc, age is just a number, right?
So, the next time you're binge-watching Friends, remember this: When you're watching Joey struggle to make rent, remember that Matt was probably paying his own rent just fine. And when you're laughing at Ross's divorce woes, remember that David Schwimmer was likely enjoying his single life. It's a funny old world, isn't it?