The world is saying goodbye
to a beloved actor
and one of our best friends.
Matthew Perry
was just 54 years old
when he died at his Los Angeles home.
On Saturday.
He was found unresponsive in his hot tub,
and the cause of death
is still unknown, pending
toxicology testing.
Perry was best known
for playing
Chandler Bing on the beloved
sitcom Friends.
And tonight, his costars
releasing a statement saying,
We are all so utterly devastated
by the loss of Matthew.
We were more than just cast mates.
We are a family.
There is so much to say.
But right now, we're going
to take a moment
to grieve
and process this unfathomable loss.
My next guest is executive
producer of Friends Kevin Bright.
Kevin,
thank you
so much for joining us this evening.
It is
unbelievably sad news
to think about the loss of someone
that so many of us feel like
we knew personally
watching him
for the better part of three decades.
I mean, we knew Chandler Bing,
but you knew Matthew Perry
And I'm wondering
if you can reflect a little bit
about what his loss means to you tonight.
Laura, thanks for having me.
It's obviously very tragic
that Matthew's life should end the 64
and especially at a point in his life
where he seemed to have conquered
the demons that plagued him for so long.
And he was on a mission to help people.
And that's what he was focused
on, I know,
speaking to him a few months before.
The last time you spoke to him,
did he seem like he was happy
and and in good spirits?
Oh, yeah.
No, he was very up.
He was very much invested in the projects
in terms of the direction
that he was pursuing
and also was looking to
make movies again.
So he was very out.
I mean, you've known him since
he was what?
I mean, 24 years.
I forget he was 24 years old
when he started on Friends.
And you just forget how young he was
because so many of us are watching it
in real time right now.
And think of him frozen in time
as forever
that person
for those incredible ten seasons.
You know, Perry and his costars
and they wrote about
they were more than just cast mates.
They were a family.
And in fact
here he is
reflecting on their bond back in HBO.
Max's really
highly anticipated and beloved 2021
friends reunion special. Listen
the best way that I can describe
it is after the show was over at a party
or any any kind of social gathering.
If one of us bumped into each other,
that was it.
That was the end of the night.
You just sat with the side
with the person all night long.
I remember that was it
you apologize
to the people you were with,
but they had to understand
you had met somebody special to you
and you were going to talk to that person
for the rest of the night.
I mean, talk to us about that bond
and really how it also translated
to the need to protect one another
and to protect Matthew
Well,
you know,
the cast for every episode
from the very beginning
would gather backstage
and they would huddle
before they would go out.
And so and then they would,
you know, gathered during the day
in between rehearsal
and the lunches together.
So it really was a family
kind of situation.
And I think, you know, with
Matthew, with all of his
his troubles over the years,
I think this cast really,
you know, supported him
in a way
that allowed him
to be the comic genius that he was.
I think
without that perfect cast around him,
you know,
it could've been a different story.
But I also, you know,
his relationship with Joey,
you know, the
Chandler and Joey,
I think Lou is something very special
that we hadn't seen before in TV.
They were like the odd couple next door
and
yeah.
So I mean, the magic of that show
and I have to tell you,
sometimes people have the misimpression
that those who are in comedy
either are not as talented
or as great of an actor or artist,
they think that comedy
somehow is a lesser form
and certainly not.
It's one of the hardest things
to pull off
to land
the lines
time after time,
night after night,
in a way
that makes people relate to them
in such a way and deliver
some of the most iconic moments
of this beloved show.
And yet,
what a contrast to this beautiful, raw,
vulnerable memoir
that he released,
where he really talks
about just how vulnerable he really was.
Were you aware at the time
when all this was going to that
those were the struggles
that he was facing?
And if so, were you surprised
that he shared them with the world
We were aware
that he was facing personal struggles
and there were times
where he had to leave the show
for several months to go to rehab.
But,
you know, in general,
I think that the show supported him
in a way for those years and,
you know, just allowed him to
be in the struggle.
You know,
you know,
he has been using this platform
and he had been using his platform
to really be
a guiding light,
to be a force of influence
for so many people
who are battling addiction.
But also saw him as one of them,
which made it all the more powerful.
You know,
he had a choice
and he chose to use his platform.
There are so many iconic moments.
I'm sure you've been watching
social media
and seeing that people
have been
sharing all their favorite either
Chandler Bing lines
or moments that they love.
I want to share for the audience
one of your favorites
You make me happier
than I ever thought I could be.
And if you let me,
I will spend the rest of my life
trying to make you feel the same way.
Monica
when your marriage
at that moment
still makes you smile, why
Well, because, you know,
we were rooting for Monica and Chandler
all along.
I think that was the thing
about their relationship
I remember when we were in London and
we did the London wedding
and we revealed the relationship
to the first time
Matthew and Courteney
came out from under those covers.
It was just like gangbusters.
4 minutes in that place.
Just the applause would not stop.
Wow.
Well,
a testament to the actor who was there.
And even to this day, Kevin Bright,
the applause does not stop
for Matthew Perry.
Thank you for sharing a little
bit with us tonight.
Thank you, Laura.
We'll be right back.