What are the chances you’re walking down the street and randomly run into stars likeAndy Cohen,Rami Malek,David Lettermanand other A-listers on a near daily basis? For Matt Friend, the chances are apparently very high.
The zinger? Many of those clips don’t only feature Friend. The stars he impersonates so well often make cameos, thanks to what the comedian says are “completely random” run-ins on the busy streets of N.Y.C.
But his impressionsofcelebritiesin front ofcelebrities aren’t the only ones that have caught the eyes of his one million-and-growing social media followers, as his various voices — ranging fromDonald Trumpto the cast ofTheWhite Lotus(yes, includingJennifer Coolidge) — have turned the heads of fans and A-listers alike.
Howard Sternnotably praised Friend back in October and gave his approval of the young comedian’s “spot-on” impression of the radio legend.“Matt’s got something going on, I have to say,“Stern said on his eponymous show. “I’ve never really been impressed with anyone who did an impression of me, but Matt, I hear it.”
Friend says his interaction with the “King of All Media” was “unbelievable” and opened up to PEOPLE exclusively about what it meant for Stern — who the comedian recognizes as “one of the best interviewers” — to positively acknowledge his talent.
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“To me it feels like when Johnny Carson would have a young comedian on the show and he would wave them over to the desk, which meant a sign of approval. That’s what it feels like for me to have this total icon and entertainment titan be so receptive,” Friend tells PEOPLE of Stern’s praise.
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Austin Butlerrecentlyapplauded Friend on the red carpetat the2023 Golden Globe Awardsfor his impression of theElvisstar as the “King of Rock and Roll” in Baz Luhrmann’s film. The actor even embraced Friend’s rendition of the late singer’s “If I Can Dream.”
“Perspective is important. I’m extremely hungry and there’s a lot of things I want to do,” says Friend, who first learned he could do impressions at 4 years old, specifically after watching Mike Myer’s characters inAustin Powers.
Friend — who randomly slips intoTrump’s voice, among others throughout his interview with PEOPLE — “would start doing impressions of my teachers and then my grandparents,” he says. “I loved watching Johnny Carson, Don Rickles … and all these old comedians. Then somehow, I just started to talk like a lot of these people.”
“My sister recently called me a glorified parrot,” he adds.
From then on, the New York University grad has been on the grind ever since. Between landing internships atThe Tonight Show(where he’d “sneak impressions in” while on coffee runs because he “had to get it out of his system”) and nabbing gigs onFamily GuyandThe Simpsons, Friend — who recently signed with United Talent Agency in March, perThe Hollywood Reporter— says “it’s all just building.”
In fact, he’s “definitely nowhere close to where I want to be or what I envision yet,” he tells PEOPLE. For a hustler like Friend — who humbly admits, “I have a lot of work left to do” — “the dream has changed,” regarding his future goals as an entertainer.
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But for the dreams he’s managed to turn into reality, there have been several “full-circle” moments for the then-college student who didn’t land an internship atThe Late Show with Stephen Colbertin 2019, but has been invited to dovoices for segments on the showthree years later.
It’d be remiss not ask ifSaturday Night Liveis on his radar, especially given his former Instagram handle: @matturdaynightlive. “I’m writing, I’m performing, I’m doing my voiceover, my standup,” he replies to theSNLinquiry, “And if that happens, that’ll be amazing.”
The impressionist adds (this time, in his own voice), “I just got to keep doing my thing.”
source: people.com
