Actor Hank Azaria says he wanted the role of Joey Tribbiani in 'Friends' and thought he could be funnier than Matt LeBlanc in the sitcom's early days.
The 49 year-old also made a name for himself by appearing in films like 'Godzilla', 'Mystery Men', 'Along Came Polly' and 'Run Fatboy Run', reported Huffington Post.
"That's the only job I ever auditioned for twice. I thought it was so good, they had rejected me once, I said, 'I'm going back, I'm gonna do it again, I'm gonna try it again'," he said.
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However, despite the setbacks, Azaria's opinion didn't change and he still thought he was suited for the role, which Matt LeBlanc went on to portray for all ten seasons.
The 'Love & Other Drugs' actor even thought he could have been funnier than LeBlanc in the first few episodes.
"At first, in my opinion, in the first few episodes of 'Friends' he hadn't really found it. And all that first season I was like, 'I could've been funnier than him! LeBlanc really found himself in that role."
Azaria's 'Friends' dream did eventually come true as he had a recurring role as 'David', one of Pheobe's love interests who had to move to Yemen for scientific research.