Matthew Perry’s Friends Struggles Emotionally Recalled By George Clooney: “He Wasn’t Happy”
After Matthew Perry’s tragic death, George Clooney recalls just how much he was struggling emotionally and mentally while filming Friends.
Despite his expectations, the late Matthew Perry was unhappy even while filming Friends. The sitcom ran from 1994 to 2004 and became a massive part of pop culture. It won multiple Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe, and nearly a dozen People’s Choice Awards. Perry was attached to the show and played the iconic sarcastic member of the titular group, Chandler Bing. Tragically, Perry died on October 28, and investigators have since attributed his death to ketamine usage.
While he was not a fellow star on Friends, legendary filmmaker George Clooney did happen to be a friend to Perry. In an interview with Deadline, Clooney explained that he knew Perry for nearly 40 years, even through his time on Friends. According to Clooney, Perry expected that the sitcom would bring him happiness, but he never actually achieved it. Check out his quote below:
I knew Matt when he was 16 years old. We used to play paddle tennis together. He’s about 10 years younger than me. And he was a great, funny, funny, funny kid. He was a kid and all he would say to us, I mean me, Richard Kind and Grant Heslov, was, “I just want to get on a sitcom, man. I just want to get on a regular sitcom and I would be the happiest man on earth.” And he got on probably one of the best ever.
He wasn’t happy. It didn’t bring him joy or happiness or peace. And watching that go on on the lot — we were at Warner Bros., we were there right next to each other — it was hard to watch because we didn’t know what was going through him. We just knew that he wasn’t happy, and I had no idea what he was doing, 12 Vicodin a day and all the stuff he talked about, all that heartbreaking stuff. And it also just tells you that success and money and all those things, it doesn’t just automatically bring you happiness. You have to be happy with yourself and your life.
Hollywood Is Remembering Matthew Perry
The tragedy of Matthew Perry’s death has been touching the hearts of those around the industry. Because Clooney only ever cameoed in Friends, he was never truly involved in the instant success that the show enjoyed. His willingness to speak out about Perry’s suffering is a mark that his legacy stretches far beyond the reach of any sitcom.
Still, the stars of Friends have been opening up about losing Perry. Joey actor Matt LeBlanc spoke about how he will “never forget” Perry and offered a solemn goodbye to the man. Other from the show, including Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, and Courteney Cox, spoke out about how they were “utterly devastated” and were taking time to process the tragic events of his death.
They are not alone, as even more members of the Friends cast have been grieving. Janice actor Maggie Wheeler feels “very blessed” to have known Perry, while Morgan Fairchild, who played Chandler’s mother, described the death as “a shock”. Selma Blaire, who played Wendy, “loved him unconditionally” and felt “broken”. As painful as it is to lose Perry, the loss has been a reminder of just how many people around him loved and cared for him.
