Joey Lawrence makes candid admission about 'Friends' star Matt LeBlanc

Matt LeBlanc apparently took a little inspiration from a fellow TV “Joey” long before Friends became a cultural phenomenon.

While promoting The Lawrence Brothers Detective Agency graphic novel alongside brothers Matthew and Andy Lawrence, Joey Lawrence told Us Weekly on August 20 that LeBlanc would quietly watch him on set in the early days.

“He used to sit up in the stands, you know, [and] watch our rehearsals and stuff for weeks to sort of just see it — see how I was playing Joey Russo,” Lawrence, 49, recalled.

“The reason why [I played the character like] that is because they wanted a 25-year-old version, right?” he continued. 

He went on to add, “And I was only 15 at the time … Matt’s a lot older than me, but that’s what they did. And they had that character on the show [Friends], I feel like, to be sort of girl crazy, or woman crazy, for Joey Tribbiani. But it was girl crazy for Joey Russo, you know? I mean, you have to be very innocent with that — it can’t be a lecherous thing.”

Looking back, Lawrence admitted he’s proud of the influence — even if the recognition went elsewhere. “I mean, [LeBlanc] went on and did amazing things with it, obviously, [and] won Emmys. I never won an Emmy,” he added with a laugh.