LeBlanc needed buzz to become Joey

Matt LeBlanc had to “amp himself up with coffee” while playing Joey Tribbiani.

The 47-year-old actor is best known for playing the ladies' man in hit sitcom Friends, which ran for a decade and ended in 2004. He starred alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry, Lisa Kudrow and David Schwimmer, with all becoming firm pals throughout.

Talking to elle.com about the filming process, Matt admits there was very little improvisation and at times the cast struggled to complete scenes with ease.

“I had to really amp myself up with coffee to play Joey. Also, you have the audience… and you have line cues to go from one actor to another. If you don't end your line when you're supposed to, the dance is off. You know what I mean?” he explained.

“It was really hard because some guest actors would come in - a lot of film actors - and, you know, everyone has a different process, but they'd get sort of close to what was on the page. And our writers would be like, 'No, you say exactly what is on the page. Nothing more. Nothing less.'”

Nevertheless, Matt’s portrayal of dim and flirty Joey had fans in stitches throughout. One particular line, ‘How you doin’?’, is something the actor now has to hear on a regular basis.

It doesn’t bother him though and he's pleased to have reached a mass audience with the expression.

“My daughter's funny - she's ten now - but when she was nine or eight, when she first saw the show, she'd come up to me and say, 'How are you doing?'” he smiled. “She knew that she was right, and that I was saying it wrong on the show. It was cute.”