Matt LeBlanc, who played Joey Tribbiani for ten seasons on 'Friends', says the gray hair he's been sporting isn't a new development.
"I dyed my hair the whole time on Friends," LeBlanc revealed Thursday at a Television Critics' Panel for his new Showtime series 'Episodes'.
"I just was sick of doing it," explained the 43-year-old, when a writer inquired why he stopped going for the younger look.
"When Joey (his spin-off) ended, I took a lot of time off," he said. "I just really was kinda burned out. I just wanted to be a dad."
LeBlanc has a 6-year-old daughter, Marina, with his ex-wife Melissa McKnight.
"I wanted to take some time off and spend time with my daughter. We have a great bond, and it's the best thing in my life."
And although he will be playing Matt LeBlanc on his new series, the actor wanted to make it clear he won't necessarily be playing himself.
"It's a character," he added. "It's not me. It's the public's perception of me more than really me."
LeBlanc said he agreed to do the show after just one meeting, because it was written by 'Friends' co-creator David Crane.
"I committed right there. It's nice to be back with writing I have real faith in."
On 'Episodes', LeBlanc will be chosen to play the lead character in a remake of a fictional British show that featured an elderly and erudite school principal.
The Showtime series will aim to skewer network television, an industry that Crane described as "ruled by fear, panic and second-guessing."
Matt LeBlanc, who played Joey Tribbiani for ten seasons on 'Friends', says the gray hair he's been sporting isn't a new development.
