Matthew Perry Said It’s “Painful” To Rewatch “Friends”
Matthew Perry is opening up about the difficulties of making peace with your past.
In case you’ve missed it, the 53-year-old actor spoke more candidly than ever before about his struggles with drug and alcohol addiction in his new memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.
In the book — which was named a New York Times No. 1 bestseller — Matthew recalls how his addiction developed around the time he was cast as Chandler Bing in Friends, revealing that it caused severe medical complications throughout the decade the show was shot between 1994 and 2004.
After the book’s release last month, Matthew sat down with Tom Power for CBC and became visibly emotional while remembering how he quietly fought his addiction during filming.
“I had a rule that I would never drink or do drugs while working,” he said. “Because I had too much respect for the five people I was working with. So I was never wasted while working.”
“But Chandler never changed,” he added. “The writing never changed … It was my ability to pull off this addiction that I didn’t understand.”
Speaking more specifically about his famous costars — David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, and Lisa Kudrow — Matthew broke into tears saying that he felt it wasn’t fair that their experiences were so different to his.
“It’s not fair that I had to go through this disease while the other five didn’t,” he said. “They got everything that I got, but I had to fight this thing — and still have to fight this thing.”
Having faced such difficulties while shooting Friends, it came as no surprise to hear that the actor was uncomfortable with rewatching the beloved series.
“I didn’t watch the show, and haven’t watched the show, because I could go, drinking, opiates, drinking, cocaine,” he said. “I could tell season by season by how I looked. That’s why I don’t wanna watch it, because that’s what I see.”
However, later in the conversation, the 17 Again actor expressed that he hoped to put the past behind him and reconnect with the show.
“I think I’m gonna start to watch it, because it really has been an incredible thing to watch it touch the hearts of different generations,” he said. “I’ve been too worried about this, and I wanna watch Friends, too.”
Now, just three weeks later, Matthew made another appearance on the Jennifer Hudson Show — in the very same lot that Friends was filmed all those years ago.
“How does it feel to be back?” Jennifer asked, prompting him to say it felt “incredible” to walk down memory lane.
“Oh, it feels amazing to be back here,” he began. “I drove here the same way that I did. … I was here for 11 years. It was incredible driving here and, you know, I miss everybody. … We just had such a good time.”
The pair went on to talk more about Friends, with Matthew revealing that he’s started rewatching it.
“I watch it a little bit,” he said. “I don’t watch it that much because sometimes it’s painful to watch because I was in difficult situations, and sometimes it’s tough to watch for me.”
He added: “But I watch it sometimes, and it’s definitely funny.”
Both in his memoir and during the promotional tour, Matthew recalled specific episodes that were particularly difficult to film, namely the show’s iconic finale in 2004.
Reflecting on the day it was shot, Matthew wrote that his costars were overcome with emotion, but he felt “numb.”
“Jennifer Aniston was sobbing — after a while, I was amazed she had any water left in her entire body. Even Matt LeBlanc was crying,” he writes. “But I felt nothing.”
He continues: “I couldn’t tell if that was because of the opioid buprenorphine I was taking, or if I was just generally dead inside.”
Matthew is now happily sober and opened up to Jennifer Hudson about what he’s learned from the tumultuous journey.
“If all your dreams come true, that doesn’t fix the inside, that doesn’t fix it,” he said, revealing that had prayed at a young age for God to make him famous.
“I had to find other things, and what I found was helping people and helping people on a grand scale sometimes, because I was fortunate enough to be on that show,” he said. “And you see the light come on in their eyes and they start to come to life because of stuff you’ve said, and that’s the dream.”
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.