A Beloved Friends Star Turned Down A Lead Role In Modern Family

It turns out that during the early days of the award-winning series "Modern Family," when it came to casting step-stumbling Dad, Phil Dunphy, "Friends" star Matt LeBlanc was considered for the role before it eventually went to Ty Burrell. In an interview with USA Today, the man who turned the simple question of "How you doin'?" into a legendary line revealed that he had been approached for the mockumentary sitcom but couldn't quite connect with the head of the Dunphy household.

"I remember reading it thinking, this is a really good script, (but) I'm not the guy for this," recalled LeBlanc. The part, if he had taken it, would have marked a second "Married...with Children" reunion for the star and seen him share the screen with Ed O'Neill. The two hadn't appeared together since 1991, when LeBlanc debuted as Vinnie Verducci, the boyfriend of Kelly Bundy (Christina Applegate, who made multiple appearances in "Friends" as Rachel's sister, Amy), the daughter of Al Bundy (O'Neill). That was before LeBlanc's character appeared in two short-lived spin-off shows, "Top of the Heap" and "Vinnie and Bobby."

In the case of "Modern Family," LeBlanc believed someone else was better suited for the role. "I'd be doing the project an injustice to take this. I know what I can do, I know what I can't do. Plus, I'm having too much fun laying on the couch." Even after passing on the show, though, LeBlanc still made an impact on the series when the cast encountered issues the "Friends" star was all too familiar with.

Although he might not have secured a role in "Modern Family," he did support the co-stars he never had when it came to contract issues. In 2012, some cast members sued 20th Century Fox Television over salary disputes before production of the fourth season started. During this process, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who played Mitchell on the show, turned to LeBlanc for advice after he, along with his "Friends" co-stars, negotiated a deal that earned them $1 million per episode in the final two seasons. 

LeBlanc told Ferguson, "You have to walk out, or they won't take you seriously," LeBlanc recalls. "If you stick together, you have power." The "Friends" star's words of wisdom paid off, with the cast walking out, leading to agreements being made and the show continuing until season 11, one more than "Friends" had when it ended in 2004. However, when LeBlanc learned what had happened, he took the chance of making light of the event: "I said, 'Hey, I killed it as Mitch today at the table read, thanks for the opportunity!'" A joke's a joke, but honestly? Matt LeBlanc as Mitchell Pritchett? That's a wild "Modern Family" casting choice we'd love to see.