Matt LeBlanc was actually offered the role of Phil Dunphy in Modern Family

Cape Town – After his success on Friends, Matt LeBlanc hit a dip when his spin-off sitcom, Joey got canned after just two seasons. 

The actor, who just turned 50, in a recent interview with The Daily Beast’s Matt Wilstein revealed that he decided to take a hiatus before taking on any new projects. 

"After Joey ended, the plan was to take a year off," LeBlanc told The Daily Beast. "I ended up taking about five or six years off."

It was while on this break that Matt was offered the role of Phil Dunphy in Modern Family – a role now made famous by Ty Burrell.

In an interview with USA Today, Matt reveals that the Modern Family pilot script came across his desk as well as an offer to play the role of Phil. 

But Matt wasn’t ready to return to TV just yet. 

"I remember reading it thinking, this is a really good script, [but] I'm not the guy for this," he said. "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.”

It was only when Matt was offered the role of himself in the comedy series Episodes that he decided to make his comeback. 

WATCH: TY BURRELL AS PHIL DUNPHY