“We didn’t know what kind of success awaits“ Friends ”: Matt Leblanc about fame, compatibility with Courtney Cox and love of cars

- How did the idea of ​​the series “Everything is seized” (with Matt Leblanc playing and producing it)?

- “Episodes” just came to an end. And they went on Showtime. And the company asked: “Do you want to take up the new comedy project on the main channel?” I agreed, began to talk with the writers. And I met Jeff and Jackie Filgo, who worked on one of my all-time favorite shows called "Lost in Cause". With Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt.

In this series, two people could talk for half an hour - and it was great. And the script is good there. They also did some episodes of The Seventies Show. I read a number of synopses, but they were all in the spirit: “A single father is trying to establish a personal life, he is dating again ...”.

I did not like it, because in all these schemes the children of the main character were assigned the role of pawns in his amorous affairs. It was somehow unpleasant for me.

I said: “I have never played a family man, although I myself am a father. Let's try. What is the idea you do not like? Just about me, but it will find a response. ” They sketched a draft, I liked it. We started to work.

- How was the name of the project born?

- We went through different options. The idea was this: here is a hero, he has his own construction company, a wife, three children. The younger daughter went to kindergarten, and the wife wants to return to work, to make a career. And the man, because he loves his spouse and wants to maintain a good atmosphere in the family, agrees: "Well, let me unload you, I will work at home, to take children to school, to the garden." And he is trying to organize everything in life. That's probably what this name is about. He plans on how to arrange everything.

- The great actor William Claude Fields advised not to work with children. It's difficult.

- Educate harder. Children are deadly rectilinear. They say it is. If you try and do something for them every day, you have a good account with them, they are delighted with you. But if you let them down, they will immediately express their discontent. The child will be the first to say: “I won't go anywhere with you today” - “Why?” - “I don't want to.”

- And the children from the series?

- They are great. Good play. Grow, grow older. But they work with concentration.

A child on television, I think, is not easy. It is necessary to work as an adult, but after the set there is still a school, a teacher, a class. I did my homework, I taught something there - and at the rehearsal.

You have to immediately change the mood. But they are ready, they know their roles. Well done.

- You assumed that the series is waiting for success?

- Yes, this can be said about any hit. We did not know what kind of success awaits the Friends. As for “Everything is seized” ... I’ve got somewhere behind three and a half hundred half-hour comedy series in various projects, and I have already developed the feeling that what can turn out well and what does not.

• Shot from the series "Everything is under control"
• © A still from the series “Everything is under control” (2016)

I do not consider myself the best expert, but I have some experience. So, here were the necessary components of success. It was clear that it would resonate. I wanted, when the audience at home would watch the series, they would have a desire to start a discussion. Because we are raising important topics.

For example, in one episode of the third season, the eldest daughter of my character moves away from him somewhat. This age. She is fifteen. She decides to become a vegan. And the mother says to her father: “You have a great opportunity to establish contact with her!” He replies: “What? Should I also become vegan? ” And so he tries. It turns out very badly, but he tries. And I can imagine this in real life.

- Comedy in your blood?

- I love laughter. When the atmosphere becomes awkward or tense, there is a business or family conversation, and everything is on nerves or at a funeral - I'm always the first to joke.

I like to laugh - I think it's from my mom. She has a great sense of humor.

It seems to me that comedy — I don’t know how to say better — for humanity as a first-aid kit: it helps to build bridges, to relieve tensions and in general to fix a lot of things.

- I talked a lot about this with Tony Randall, he called comedy "a serious matter."

- That's what's interesting: if you compare drama and comedy, then in both there is a plot, conflict and its resolution. That is, in the comedy - everything is the same as in the drama, but at the same time it should also be funny. This is an additional height that must be taken, since everything that is in the drama still remains.

- Feels the difference in rhythm. Tony said that he was always difficult in a comedy: he simply did not have time to properly shine.

- True? Hacker! This does not succeed.

- Here, and I told him: "Tie". For me, Matt Leblanc has always been successful. I have never seen your failures.

- Oh, I do not agree. "Friends" became my fourth television series. Before the Friends, there were some less successful. Otherwise you would know about them. Do not go.

- How did you become one of the "Friends"?

- I went to audition, they called me back, I went again, and so it was five times. As a result, the last samples were with Courtney Cox - for compatibility. At NBC in the presence of Warner Bros. and all the rest.

- "Compatibility"?

- It seemed strange to me, because according to the scenario between Monica and Joe there was no relationship. But it was necessary to see how we would play together, because at that time only she took the role. She was the first because she was already known then.

• Shot from the TV series "Friends"
• © Shot from the TV series "Friends" (1994 - 2004)

I will never forget: I came, and in the last samples there was just me and another guy. In the description of the role, where the age of the hero and everything else, it was said: Italian-American, novice actor in New York. And the second guy who came with me, my competitor, was dressed like a cowboy. And I thought: "One of us was given wrong directions." Fortunately, everything turned out in my favor.

- “Friends” became a real hit. When did you realize that success was coming? At that time you already had setbacks. In the series, six cool characters. Did you think it would "shoot"?

- I was a big fan of Taxi and Merry Company TV shows and knew well who James Burroughs was who directed the pilot series Friends.

I remember, then I thought: “He wouldn’t engage in foolishness.” There was a very good script, spelled characters with clear characters. It remained only to hope.

When the premiere took place, as I recall, the first season was in the top 20. And in the summer, during the rerun, I rose to the top ‑ 5, and so it remained there.

“You all got along?”

- Yes. We all got along very well with each other. We can say, have become a family. In the series “Friends” there is an interesting moment, which is not particularly talked about. Usually the fisherman sees a fisherman from afar, and if you have a group of friends, then, as a rule, you have common interests.

But these six characters are very different from each other. This is generally uncharacteristic, but thanks to this series is designed for a variety of viewers.

Suppose someone relates himself to Phoebe. And she is not at all like Rachel, who, in turn, does not look like Monica. Ross is different from Chandler and Joe. They are all very different. But it allowed to reach a wider audience.

- How did you become an actor?

- I went to New York, to a friend in Bronxville. She studied there at the Sarah Lawrence College. I decided to wander around the city, and it so happened that I came to the office of the manager, who offered me a five-year contract for shooting in advertising. I said, “Well, okay,” I took the contract home, thought it over, and signed it.

- As I understand it, you are a big car lover. How many have you got?

“Fifteen or sixteen, about that.” But this is not all sports cars - there are pickups and SUVs, there are old cars.

- Where does such love for cars come from?

- My father worked as a mechanic, and I went with a motorcycle from eight years old. By the way, I now have more motorcycles than cars. I always had this love.

The point may not even be speed. Although in her youth, she was important to me, and with age I began to drive more slowly. I just like it.

Maybe carpentry reflected in the love of mechanics: I do a lot of work with the machines myself.

• Matt LeBlanc on Top Gear
• © BBC

- Who (or what) inspires you?

- It's funny, but we discussed Jackie Gleason during a break. I adore his series "The Newlyweds"; the time that Gleason chose to create it, his courage and loyalty to his idea. And he just inspired his game.

- Best advice you got?

- "Do not eat yellow snow." This is good advice. In fact, the best advice in life, probably, was given to me by my mother. She still repeats this to me, speaking of my work: "Do not be nervous." It is so simple, but it is true - do not be nervous.

- The strangest meeting with fans?

- At the dawn of filming in Friends, David Schwimmer and I (the actor who played the role of Ross. - RT ) somehow went to a restaurant. At the table he was sitting opposite me, and behind me was a woman with a child. She recognized David and came to a wild delight - she came to us and said: “You will not take a photo of my baby?”.

And then - I am not exaggerating - she left the child to David. Thank God, he has a good reaction.

He caught the child - she threw it like that and climbed into the bag behind the camera. I could not believe my eyes. He caught. And she did not recognize me at all.

- Your secret passion?

- There are some TV shows where old cars “pump”. I can watch them all day.

- The role that you refused and regret?

- Not so often I offer roles. I agree to everything.

- And in the movie?

- Movie? I starred in a couple of films, but in general my career is connected with television.

- When did you realize that you are famous?

- It was a long time ago - in the mid-90s.

- Did you understand that everyone is looking at you?

- Yes. I'll tell you one amusing story. After we filmed the pilot episode of Friends, director Jim Burroughs drove us, all six, to Las Vegas. And we went there to dine at the restaurant "Spago" in the hotel " Caesars Palace" ( Caesars Palace ) .

• Shot from the TV series "Friends"
• © Shot from the TV series "Friends" (1994 - 2004)

We sat in the main hall, at a large round table in the center. Sit, have dinner. And at some point Burroughs tells us: "Look around." We all looked around - no one pays any attention to us. And he said: "Today is the last day, when each of you can go to dinner like this - so that no one would stare at you." We are: "Come on, you." But that was Jim Burrows, godfather of television. He shot more than a thousand series of various TV projects. That is, he knew what he was talking about.

- A historical character you want to play?

- Enzo Ferrari.

- Again about cars. If you had to watch one “Friends” series every day until the end of your life, which one would you choose?

- The same? Wow ...

- Do you have a favorite series?

- You understand what the difficulty is here: in each series there were three plots combined - stories A, B, C. And I get confused where they were. So sometimes I can not remember the full content of a particular series.

But in general, I really liked the episodes that were filmed on Christmas Day, because there were no guest actors in them - only we were six, and they were very intimate.

And it was also very fun to beat the personal overtakes of any of us about the holidays. It has always been great.

- Your most risky act?

- Skydiving.

- I would not jump. What will be Matt Leblanc in ten years?

- I want to believe that alive.

- Questions from social networks. Which of your characters has had the greatest impact on your life?

- Perhaps Joe in Friends. This series definitely changed my life.

- And the "episodes"?

- In the "Episodes" was fun to shoot. It was an opportunity to make fun of himself and our field of activity. This is interesting and funny. I was often told that it was so bold to play myself and show myself in that light. I do not know about courage - the script was awesome. I always say that I don’t mind being a joke character if she’s funny.

- Is it true that everything depends on the script?

- In this series - yes, it's all about him.

- How did your approach to the character in the series “Everything is seized” change in three seasons?

- My approach to the character has not changed at all. It seems to me that at the beginning of any series you would like to try your hero - in the first season, and in the second too. And by the third, we already know what works and what doesn't. Moreover, the project's producers Jeff and Jackie told the screenwriters to write based on their own experience.

- What is your funny memory about the filming of Friends?

- Wow ... not an easy question.

- It was a lot of funny?

- Yes, we had many such moments. There were very funny bloopers, some phrases that can not be uttered on television. I would say, I don’t know why, but the saddest was the final series. It was not easy.

- Ten years.

- Yes. And it all ended - a cool project in which we all participated. It's like playing in a rock band.

- And it was time to finish it?

- Who knows? I did not have the feeling that “Friends” had become obsolete. But all came to the conclusion that it was time to finish - to leave, as long as it can be done beautifully. So we finished it.

- Is it possible that you will be seen again with William Hurt, Mimi Rogers and Gary Oldman in the sequel of the movie "Lost in Space" 1998?

- It would be great. I would gladly agree. I think this probability is always there.

- What is the biggest misconception about Matt Leblanc?

- That I'm tall.

- How many times a day you are asked: “How are you?” (Joe’s crucial question from the series “Friends”).

“If I have been at home all day, never.”

Watch the full interview at RTD.