Matt LeBlanc’s Daughter Marina Loves Horses and Rihanna: ‘So That’s What I’m Into!’
The top two interests of Matt LeBlanc‘s Friends character Joey Tribbiani may have been women and sandwiches, but for the actor, life is much different.
“Horses and Rihanna,” he told PEOPLE at Carnegie Hall Wednesday during the 2016 CBS Upfronts, when asked about what his 12-year-old daughter Marina is currently interested in.
“So that’s what I’m into,” LeBlanc says, adding with a laugh, “This year for her birthday, [Marina] said, ‘I want you to get Rihanna to come.’ And, I was like, ‘I’ll get right on that, sure.’ ”
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LeBlanc, who will star in CBS’ new series Man with a Plan this fall as a contractor taking over the childcare reins when his wife goes back to work, is also still involved in the lives of ex-wife Melissa McKnight‘s elder two children.
“Tyler’s 25. He’s a sound engineer,” LeBlanc, 48, tells PEOPLE. “He works in a recording studio. And my daughter [Jacquelyn] graduates from FIT [on Thursday]. I had dinner with her. But I have to fly back to London tonight, so [I’ll] miss it. But at least we got to have dinner.”
His pride in the children is almost palpable. “She’s in the design program,” he adds of Jacquelyn. “She’s a really hard worker, and I’m proud of her. She’s doing fantastic.”
Coming this fall. Hope you tune in.
On Man with a Plan, LeBlanc’s character quickly realizes he can’t bear playing Mr. Mom. But in real life, the actor appreciates that the shooting schedule of his new show allows him to be home for dinner.
“I have a young daughter, so for me, that makes a lot more sense. This is also something she can watch,” he says. “She came when we shot the pilot — that’s the first time she’s ever seen me work. She was born when I was doing Joey, and she’s not allowed to watch Episodes — not yet, anyway. It’s a little dirty.”
And what does Man with a Plan draw on from LeBlanc’s real life?
“One of the things we really focus on is that we live in a very politically correct world, especially when it comes to parenting,” LeBlanc admits. “At schools, you’re around a lot of other parents. And everybody says, ‘Oh, they have to eat this. And this is non-GMHO. And this is organic.’ I had none of that growing up.
“I think that my character is a little less politically correct than most guys,” he adds.
Man with a Plan will premiere this fall on CBS.
— Jeffrey Slonim