The creators of ‘Friends’ say they knew immediately that Perry would play Chandler: "There was no one else for us"

2023-10-30 03:52:00

The creators of the series Friends indicated this Sunday that they immediately knew that Matthew Perry would play Chandler Bing, one of the six protagonists, and that they feel “lucky” to have had the actor in their lives.

“It’s a cliché to say that an actor makes a role their own, but in Matthew’s case, there are no truer words. From the day we first heard him play Chandler Bing, there was no one else for us,” they said. comedy co-founders Marta Kauffman and David Crane and executive producer Kevin Bright in a joint statement to People magazine.

For a decade (1994-2004) Perry, who died at the age of 54 at his home in Los Angeles, played Chandler Bing, a character full of sarcasm who always had a joke up his sleeve to make his friends laugh: Ross ( David Schwimmer), Joey (Matt LeBlanc), Monica (Courteney Cox), Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) and Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow).

In the joint statement, furthermore, the creators of the series have indicated that the tragic news still seems impossible to them: “The only thing we can say is that we feel blessed to have had it as part of our lives.”

“We will always appreciate the joy, light and great intelligence that he brought to every moment, not only to his work, but also to life. She was always the funniest person in the room. More than that, he was the sweetest, with a generous and selfless heart,” they added in his statement.

Perry was in charge of saying the last word – and joke – of the series: “Where?”, a sarcastic question he asked in response to the proposal that the six friends go for coffee.

The actor’s addiction

However, while making the Friends audience laugh, Perry faced his addiction to various drugs and alcohol, as he recounted in 2022 in his book Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.

In his work, he also wrote that he was admitted 16 times to rehabilitation centers, that he only acted sober in the ninth season and that his colleague Aniston was the first to worry about his health, since even though he had not told her anything to no one, she realized her problem.

On the other hand, this Sunday Perry’s relatives said they were “heartbroken” after his loss, according to a statement reported by US media.

“We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of our beloved son and brother. Matthew brought a lot of joy to the world, as an actor and as a friend,” said the text released by family members.

So much so that tens of thousands of followers of the series, as well as numerous personalities from the Hollywood industry, have spoken out in recent hours about the unexpected death of the actor.

“You all meant a lot to him and we appreciate the tremendous displays of love,” concludes the brief statement from the interpreter’s relatives.