Matt LeBlanc's Joey Tribbiani really only wanted one thing: To be a great actor. Okay, so maybe that's not entirely true: He wanted to be a great actor, and also have an unlimited supply of sandwiches. That's why I think this Friends character would be particularly thrilled with who Oscar-nominated Johnny Depp was compared to in a New York Times review for Murder On the Orient Express. Is Depp really channeling Joey Tribbiani in his new role?
The film doesn't premiere until Friday, November 10, so audiences will have to wait until we see the movie for ourselves to make that call. However, The New York Times thinks that Depp is far more Joey than, say, Jack Sparrow in his part in this Agatha Christie ensemble film.
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The 2017 adaptation of the classic Christie detective tale stars Depp as Edward Ratchett, who (spoiler alert!) becomes the murder victim in this whodunnit. However, before he is found stabbed to death on the train, the actor makes quite the impression.
Per The New York Times:
"Imbuing that unsavory character with the dopiest of gangster mannerisms, Mr. Depp may remind you of Matt LeBlanc’s Friends character, Joey Tribbiani. It’s as if Joey, that lovable bad actor, is trying to make the most of his first big break in the movies."
As a Friends fanatic, I'm slightly offended by the fact that NYT called Joey a "bad actor," even if it was qualified with "lovable." I mean, clearly, the paper hasn't seen his turn in this family drama/space opera. Or this musical about Freud. Or that audition in which he had to pee really, really bad.
Perhaps The New York Times was just referring to Ratchett's love of lasagna. Maybe the two share the same catchphrase. ("How you doin'?")
It looks like the real mystery on the Orient Express is which members of the ensemble are channeling the other five friends.