Matt LeBlanc almost missed out on the role of Joey in Friends to actor Louis Mandylor— before a drunken mishap saw won him the part.
LeBlanc was launched to fame for his role as the charismatic failing actor on the 1994 hit sitcom.
Show director Kevin Bright and creator Marta Kauffman spoke candidly about the difficult audition process for the character during the show's one-off reunion Friends: The Reunion.
Bright revealed that LeBlanc "went down to the wire" for the role as the creators debated between him and another actor.
"But the funny thing about it is the other actor ended up in the show, in 'The One With Unagi,'" he explained. "Playing Fake Joey, ironically."
The season six episode sees Joey hire a fake twin, played by Mandylor, to enter a medical research test in hopes of making $2,000.
In a surprising turn of events, it was a night out with a friend the night before his final audition that resulted in LeBlanc being chosen over Mandylor.
After giving in to his friend's suggestion to go bar-hopping, LeBlanc woke up in the middle of the night needing to use the toilet.
"I got up too fast and—I can't believe I'm telling you this—I kind of blacked out, as you do, and fell face-first into the toilet," he explained. "I hit my nose on the bottom of the toilet seat and a huge chunk of meat came off my nose. I'm looking in the mirror and it's bleeding."
The damage meant he turned up to his audition with a very visible scar on his face, but when he told Kauffman the truth about what happened he was offered the job.
Australia-born Mandylor went on to find his own success as an actor, starring in both installments of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, making appearances in CSI: Miami and CSI: NY and taking on a role in 2018 movie The Debt Collector.
The revelation comes amid the release of the much-anticipated Friends reunion.
The unscripted episode sees LeBlanc and his co-stars Jennifer Aniston, Matthew Perry, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer and Courteney Cox all appear on screen to reminisce over the show.
As part of the special, the stars swap stories about their time on-set, open up about on- and off-screen romances and explore their old apartments.
The actors are also joined by a slate of celebrity guests for the sit-down interview, hosted by Late Late Show host James Corden.
Friends: The Reunion is available to stream now on HBO Max.
