What Co-Stars Said About Working With Matthew Perry

Lisa Kudrow was charming as Phoebe in Friends - someone who was quirky and often marched to the beat of her own drummer. Yet beneath all the whimsy was a complicated personality, and Kudrow deserves a great deal of credit for bringing out the many shades of Phoebe’s character. However ditzy Phoebe might've been, Kudrow has been very clear-eyed about her colleague’s struggles, even as she recognized Perry’s undeniable gift for comedy and getting a laugh. In an interview with The New York Times, she stated: When Matthew was sick, it was not fun. We were just hopelessly standing on the sidelines. We were hurting a lot. Matthew is one of the funniest people I've ever met in my life. He's charming and hilarious. Most of our hard laughs came from Matthew.

Given the long run and success of Friends, it’s understandable many cast members would have seen Perry at both his best and his worst. Over the years, his colleagues would speak openly about their love and worry for their friend and co-star. Jennifer Aniston, for example, said the late actor was “one of the most sensitive people I’ve ever met.” Furthermore, like many others, she admitted: I didn't understand the level of anxiety and self torture [that] was put on Matthew Perry, if he didn't get that laugh, and the devastation that he felt… Which makes a lot of sense.

Kathleen Turner infamously portrayed Chandler’s parent, a transgender woman named Helena, for a three-episode arc in Friends. While the character was the butt of several unfortunate jokes - something for which the co-creator has apologized on several occasions - Turner’s performance continues to receive praise, and many younger viewers are more familiar with this role than her earlier film roles in the 1980s and '90s. She's also had her own history with addiction, and had kind words when she learned of Perry's passing. In addition to reminiscing about how he would continue to visit her and jokingly refer to her as “dad,” she also remarked on his inner warmth: I liked him. He had a good sense of humor and a good heart. He liked other people, which, to me, is terribly important, especially for an actor.

In addition to being about friendship, Friends is very much about the unexpected romances that flourish among people in their 20s as they try to figure out their lives and loves. Few viewers could have predicted Monica and Chandler getting together, but, once they did, it’s impossible to deny the palpable chemistry between the characters and the actors. The two just seem to fit naturally together, so it’s no wonder they became one of the series’ most beloved couples. Cox, like the other cast members, was very aware of Perry's struggles, but she also praised his “ability to show very raw emotion and make close connections with his audience,” which to her helped explain why he was such a popular character. She also praised his work in the series Go On, stating: I loved that Matthew found a way to make his character relatable by showing vulnerability in the personal struggles he was facing.

Before his retirement from acting, Bruce Willis was one of the most respected action stars of his generation. However, while he might be well-known for appearing in such films as Die Hard, he was also remarkably talented when it came to comedy, including his appearance on Friends. Interestingly, he only appeared on the show because, as he bluntly put it, "I lost a bet to Matthew Perry.” Apparently the two had engaged in a bit of betting on the set of 2000's The Whole Nine Yards, with Perry arguing the film would be a box office hit, and Willis taking the opposite view. Obviously Willis lost, and he ended up appearing in three episodes of Friends as Paul Stevens, who debuts as the father of one of Ross’s girlfriends before he starts dating Rachel. It would earn Willis an Emmy.

Even though Perry was best-known for appearing in Friends, he also had a small but diverse filmography. He particularly flourished in the romantic comedy, and in 1997 appeared in Fools Rush In with Salma Hayek. Although the film hits all the familiar beats of the genre, there’s potent chemistry between Hayek and Perry, and the two apparently shared a strong bond on-set. In fact, upon hearing of Perry’s untimely passing, Hayek reflected on the nature of their relationship both on the set of Fools Rush In and subsequently: There is a special bond that happens when you share dreams with someone, and together you work towards them… Throughout the years, he and I found ourselves reminiscing about that meaningful time in our lives with a deep sense of nostalgia and gratitude.

Actress Lisa Cash appeared as a flight attendant in the Season 5 Friends episode “The One in Vegas: Part 1.” But she almost played a much larger part as a woman Matthew Perry's character, Chandler Bing, cheats on Monica Geller with: Basically, the scene was Chandler and Monica were arguing in [Las] Vegas… Chandler goes up to the hotel room, orders room service and I bring it up as a hotel worker… And we end up talking, laughing, and connecting, and Chandler ends up cheating on Monica with my character. According to Cash, the scene was “rehearsed and everything,” but the day before they were set to shoot, Perry went to the writers and begged them to ax the storyline: I was told that [he] went into the writers and said the audience would never forgive him for cheating on Monica, which he was probably right… That would have changed possibly the course of the show and his character. Fortunately for the many Chandler and Monica fans, Cash ended up playing the flight attendant instead. She had nothing but good things to say about her time working with Perry: I was coming in, and I was new to the industry. And it could have been really intimidating for me to have… a scene with Matthew Perry, but I felt so comfortable… He was really likable and welcoming and just made me feel at ease, and it's fun you know… It was really fun doing the scene with him and it was easy doing the scene with him.

In some ways, Perry was the perfect person to play Oscar Madison in the revamped version of The Odd Couple, which aired from 2015 to 2017. He was able to take a well-established role and make it his own, and he had remarkable on-screen chemistry with co-star Thomas Lennon, who played the fussy clean freak Felix Unger. Although it was never a huge hit with either critics or audiences, it was still a showcase for Perry’s comedic talents. Part of the reason Lennon and Perry worked so well together, according to the former, was the fact they actually did at times get on each other's nerves. As Lennon explained in an interview: Some part of me feels like both Oscar and Felix… [to Matthew] I bug you sometimes, but I know you love me. And I think we love how much we bug each other a little bit. Which I think is what it all hinges [on]. They don’t drive each other crazy - they love how much the other one drives them crazy on some level, and kind of need it.

Both Neve Campbell and Perry were at the height of their popularity in 1999, when they appeared in the romantic comedy Three to Tango. While it might not rank among the best examples of the genre in the 1990s - and though it trades in some rather unfortunate tropes about gay men - there’s no denying the strong performances from Campbell and Perry, who also have good chemistry together. Campbell had this to say about her co-star and the experience of making the film: It was fun ‘cause Matthew helped me a lot with comedy. He was nervous about some dramatic scenes - I helped him. But there was a really nice balance. A really good learning experience.

One of the most significant bonds in Friends is the one between Matt LeBlanc’s Joey and Perry’s Chandler. The two are not only roommates; they're true best friends and even, in a way, soulmates. The two men simply “got” each other in a way that was extraordinary to see in network TV, particularly in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Their on-screen chemistry is palpable, and it reflected their real-life friendship. However, it wasn’t always easy, particularly for LeBlanc, who often reached out to his friend during his moments of greatest crisis: I tried to talk to him… There wasn’t a response. It’s such a personal struggle; they need to bottom out on their own.

Throughout his career, Perry worked with some of the most talented people in Hollywood, and in Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip he ended up working with Bradley Whitford; they starred as executive producers for a sketch comedy. In addition to appearing in the mid-2000s dramedy, Whitford also directed several episodes of the short-lived series, and he shared a rich bond with his co-star: I love working with Matt… truly one of the funniest people on the planet, and we had so much fun… Often guest directors come in, and as an actor, it’s kind of a pet peeve where you’ve got, like, a hundred people staring at you, holding lights and mikes at you, and these guest directors will come in and they’ll go, “Okay, are we rolling? Okay, we’re rolling. Guys, are you ready? Okay, and… Hey, Brad, quit pushing for the joke. You don’t need to do that. Action!” Like, a totally humiliating, devastating note, and then, “Action!” And Matt had mentioned how he hated that, too, so when I was directing him, I’d be, like, “Okay, guys, quiet! We got it? Okay, and… There is no happiness, the reward is death. Action!” Or, “Guys, are we quiet? Quiet, guys! Okay, and… Matt, you peaked 10 years ago. Action!” So, yeah, that was a fun day.

After the conclusion of Friends, Perry appeared in a wide variety of projects, including 2009's 17 Again, in which he plays the older version of Mike O'Donnell, a disenchanted middle-aged man who ends up getting to be 17 again. Perry and Efron are both well-cast, and they even look enough like each other to believably play the same character at two points in his life. During an interview for the film, Efron gave a cheeky description of Perry’s physical mannerisms: “He always has his hands in his pockets… He doesn’t smile… It’s always ‘I don’t really want to be smiling, but you deserve a smile.'" Perry took it all in good fun, remarking with a smile, “He pointed out to me that I have sort of an upside-down smile.”

Although Perry was an undeniably talented actor, his struggles with addiction could at times have detrimental impacts not just on himself, but also on his co-stars and on the productions on which he was involved. In 2002, he appeared with Elizabeth Hurley in Serving Sara, but his charm as Chandler Bing didn't quite translate to the genre of romantic comedy. Hurley has been forthright about how difficult it was to work with Perry at that period in his life: To be honest, it was a nightmare working with him at that time and, as it’s now known, our movie was shut down because of his addiction… We were in a force majeure and had to all sit at home twiddling our thumbs for some time. It was tough; obviously he was having a tough time, but he was still very charming and a lovely person to work with. But you could see he was suffering for sure.