Why Friends star Matt LeBlanc turned down this Modern Family role

Matt LeBlanc turned down a role in Modern Family because he felt his casting would do an "injustice" to the show.

The 50-year-old actor revealed he was offered the part of real estate broker Phil Dunphy - which eventually went to producers' first choice, Ty Burrell - in 2009 while taking a break after his Friends spin-off Joey had come to an end but didn't think he was the right person for the role, and was also enjoying time out.

He told USA Today: "I remember reading it thinking, this is a really good script, [but] I'm not the guy for this. 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."

In 2012, the Modern Family cast sued 20th Century Fox in a salary dispute, but before then, the show's Jesse Tyler Ferguson called Matt for negotiating advice as the Friends cast had previously joined forces to negotiate their own higher pay deal.

And Matt recalls telling the actor: "You have to walk out, or they won't take you seriously. If you stick together, you have power."

However, on the day the cast refused to show up for work as part of their dispute, Matt couldn't resist playing a text message prank on Jesse, who plays Mitchell Pritchett.

The Top Gear host admitted: "I said, 'Hey, I killed it as Mitch today at the table read, thanks for the opportunity!'"

- Bang! Showbiz