Impersonating a Hollywood celebrity in front of the stars themselves can take a lot of courage, but for Matt Friend, there’s nothing more exciting.
Armed with cheeky anecdotes and spot-on impersonations, the comedian seems to be everywhere.
From the red carpets of major Hollywood awards shows to podcasts with Bill Maher, he even accepted a guest spot at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner impersonating Donald Trump, opposite Joe Biden.
But it was his conversation with Paul Giamatti that caught the attention of many, with the Billions star clearly impressed by Friend’s skills.
“I’ve been obsessed with him for a long time,” he tells DailyMail.com.
Now, as Friend finds her place among the glamour of glitzy events, she reveals it was no accident how she got there.
Matt Friend is making a name for himself with his remarkable impersonations of Hollywood stars.
Friend began honing his craft on the Chicago comedy circuit, but his passion for entertainment began at a very young age.
“It all starts with making your parents laugh,” Friend says.
He was just four years old when he saw Austin Powers, a film that he says was the starting point for his obsession with comedy.
Mike Myers’ numerous characters, such as Gold Member and Dr. Evil, acted as a jumping off point for Friend to try his hand at imitations.
“I don’t know why I was so drawn to it, but I was,” he says.
‘Then I started talking like my grandfather and trying to make my parents and classmates laugh.’
Throughout her rise to stardom, Friend met several famous faces, including Drew Barrymore.
Bill Maher is just one of many celebrities who were wowed by Friend’s talent and invited him onto their podcast, where he was able to see the impersonations firsthand.
While studying at New York University, he took every opportunity he could to immerse himself in the world of comedy.
“I was so obsessed and focused, it became my extracurricular activity,” he says.
It wasn’t long before he discovered that his efforts were paying off.
‘I was going to classes and then to an open mic and I was making a name for myself.
‘I was getting paid spots at comedy clubs while I was still in school and I was feeling the momentum building and then when the pandemic hit, I was sitting at home with my parents, my sister and I and we were like, “What do I do?”
One idea he had was to create a mini late-night talk show he called ‘Quarantime.’
Producing over 50 episodes of the sketch show, he wrote themed monologues and conducted interviews that proved to be a great creative exercise.
While his Instagram account highlights interactions with those he imitates, Friend is a comedian by trade and performs stand-up shows.
Friend began honing his craft on the Chicago comedy circuit (pictured with Roger Federer)
But it was her move to social media that really changed her life and opened doors for her.
During the pandemic, Jimmy Kimmel began talking about his impersonations on air, sparking a wave of media interest, including landing a spot on Hoda and Jenna.
“I was with them for a bit and then all these media appearances started happening and my number of followers started to increase,” he says.
From there, all these ‘crazy things’ started happening after graduating from college.
The snowball intensified when Friend found herself on the red carpet at the Golden Globes earlier this year, where she came face to face with the likes of Nicholas Cage, Austin Butler, Mark Ruffalo and the infamous moment with Giamatti, boldly imitating their iconic voices with uncanny accuracy to the amazement of her subjects.
Friend was heartbroken not to see Giamatti on the carpet, but when he saw an opportunity, he took it.
“I got it two minutes after she won her Golden Globe for her role in The Holdovers, it had just happened, so I was very happy,” says Friend.
Performing an impression of a Hollywood celebrity in front of the stars can take a lot of courage, but it seems to come naturally to Friend.
While impressions take work, Friend says they’re not something you sit down and rehearse, like someone might practice playing the violin.
“It just happens, I watch a lot of movies, I read a lot of books, I watch a lot of shows,” he explains.
“I’m very up to date with what’s going on in pop culture and politics and as a result of that, I just listen to the voices of the character and then I start playing it. I couldn’t tell you it’s a process, I don’t sit down and practice, it just happens.”
When Howard Stern learned that Friend had adopted his familiar tones, he liked what he saw so much that he invited Friend on his show.
Since then, his opportunities have included lending his voice to hit animated shows he idolized as a child, such as The Simpsons and Family Guy; the latter of which allowed him to meet series creator Seth MacFarlane.
As well as mixing it up with celebrities to create entertaining clips, Friend’s success continued throughout the year, most recently sharing his Donald Trump impression with Emmy Awards attendees.
In addition to the industry benefits, he continues to expand his comedy hour, which he says includes more than just impersonations.
On the red carpet at the Golden Globes in January, Friend looked brave
“There are a lot of stories, I’ve had a lot of celebrity encounters, but I’ve really become known for meeting the people I’m doing an impression of, so I have a lot of really funny stories,” he says. “I’m constantly working.”
While the praise has been constant, Friend says it’s a matter of hard work paying off and having faith in yourself.
“I think it’s not human to say that you have so much confidence, that you can do it, nobody really knows anything, the only thing I can control is the work I put into what I do,” he says.
‘I work hard and the things I do are completely crazy, but I think luck is created by work and I feel very honored and grateful for all the opportunities that are presented to me and the things that I’m doing, but at the same time, they don’t happen if you don’t put in the effort.
‘Every day I try to do everything I can. You have to have confidence in yourself to get up on stage in front of strangers, you don’t know if it’s going to work; it’s almost an illusion to think: “Will this joke work?”, but you have to believe in yourself.’
