Matt LeBlanc, who is now worth a staggering $85M, happened to have been extremely broke before getting his breakthrough role in FRIENDS. The actor confessed to having simply $11 in his pocket to survive through a month before joining a gig. Although LeBlanc almost starved and faced immense struggle, it didn’t stop him from trying.
Appearing for an interview with the US chat show Conan, Matt LeBlanc admitted doing his own dentistry to save $80, during his rough years of struggle. Being a down-on-his-luck actor, LeBlanc suffered from poverty before landing his defining role as Joey Tribbiani, which changed his life, forever.
Matt LeBlanc Was Extreme Broke Before FRIENDS
The 55-year-old American heartthrob of the 90s, Matt LeBlanc, who went on to make a fortune as Joey Tribbiani of FRIENDS, almost starved himself during his struggling years. Having only $11 in his pocket before landing his breakthrough role in the infamous sitcom, LeBlanc was inches close to giving up on his acting career to become a waiter and have steady money.
Appearing on the TBS talk show Conan, Matt LeBlanc discussed how broke he was before he became a $85M rich FRIENDS star. “I was down to $11, now that’s holding out too long” the actor confessed. He further mentioned how he wanted to quit trying out acting gigs and get a full-time waiter’s job. But he soon realized, “By the time that $11 ran out it would have been before the next pay cheque on that job.”
Therefore, considering how things started getting worse and how he might starve, Matt LeBlanc gave his last try and went for a headshot. Irrespective of the low bank balance, LeBlanc wasn’t low on his hopes. Pinching pennies any way he could, the 55-year-old appeared for auditions, while also doing his own dentistry.
Also read: 35 Jokes From F.R.I.E.N.D.S That Are Funny Even After 17 Years
Matt LeBlanc Admitted Filing His Own Teeth
Appearing on Conan, Matt LeBlanc was asked about his struggling years before stabilizing his acting career and being a household name for generations. Discussing with Conan O’Brien, the host, the actor mentioned how his headshot photographer pointed out his dental mismatch and asked him to consider getting his teeth filed before clicking the pricy pictures.
“He said, ‘Before we take this, you might want to go get that tooth filed.’ I go, ‘What are you talking about?’ He said, ‘One tooth is a little longer than the other one. You should go get that filed.’”
Thus, the 55-year-old mentioned going to the phone booth and finding a dentist who agreed to file his teeth for $80. Considering the meager amount of $11 he had in his pocket, Matt LeBlanc mentioned doing something entirely bizarre. Now, this is not among the hilarious but dumb things that Joey did in one of the FRIENDS episodes that you may have missed.
Reenacting the experience for Conan O’Brien, the actor said, “80 bucks?!?! Lemme see the file”. Figuring out what it was and how it looked like, Matt LeBlanc mentioned going to the drug store to “buy like a three pack of emery boards,” and do the task himself. Taking pride in what he did, the actor burst out laughing and said, “I’m very frugal”. Further adding how the photographer reacted, LeBlanc stated, “He said, ‘They did a nice job!’”.
Although the incident sounds hilarious in retrospect, the struggle eventually made the 55-year-old a million-dollar star. The actor eventually ended up taking home $1M per episode by season 10 in 2015.
FRIENDS streaming now, on Netflix.
Source: Team Coco
