‘God, you can do whatever you
want to me. Just please make me famous’
- Matthew Perry before he got
‘Friends’
Frankly, I was never a big fan of the cult TV comedy series ‘Friends’ when it was first aired in the late 90s (It ran for 10 years, 1994 – 2004). But much later one day while scrolling through the channel Comedy Central on television, I happened to see a few episodes during the endless re-runs and was suddenly hooked on to it. And after watching umpteen re-runs and many more reels on Instagram,I would still be up for another watch. All the characters are unforgettable but Monica and Chandler (Matthew Perry) would always hold a special place in my heart. Not only because of their individual characteristics (funny guy Chandler and control freak Monica) but also because of the beautiful relationship they shared and how they always supported each other despite all their shortcomings. Hence, it was heartbreaking when I read that Matthew Perry was struggling with alcohol and drug addiction during and after ‘Friends’. Somehow, if you watch the series, you can never make out that the main funny guy has a serious addiction problem. In fact, for the episode in which he and Monica get married, Matthew Perry came from the rehabilitation centre to the shoot. This and many more of his struggles on and off the set are revealed in his frank ,revealing and disturbing autobiography – Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing (Hachette, 2022) which had been on my TBR for some time. No marks for guessing what the Big Terrible Thing is.
Born in Canada to a University pageant Queen and an American
band singer, Matthew Perry always had the right genes to make it big in show
business. Unfortunately, his parents’ marriage soon fell apart and his father
returned to California, America leaving Matthew and his mother in Ottawa,
Canada. Though his father always kept in touch with him, and both his parents re-married
, Matthew had a lonely childhood and
always felt abandoned and a craving for attention, as his mother had a
hectic work schedule. Finally, at the age of 15, Matthew decided to move to
America with his father, and first tried his luck as a tennis player! He had
been doing well in Canada but found the standards much higher in America. His
father had moved on to working in Hollywood and Matthew also started doing the
rounds of studios. He always had the ability to make people laugh and was also
acting in school plays. How he landed the role of Chandler Bing in ‘Friends’ is
one of the more interesting parts of the book. One of his actor friends was finalized
for the role first (‘My heart sank, because I knew I was Chandler’) and Matthew
was also contracted to do a sci-fi comedy. However, the stars so conspired that
eventually he got selected for the role of Chandler Bing and there was no
looking back. It soon became a world-wide phenomenon with the lead actors going
on to earning 1 million per episode. Unfortunately by the time he started with ‘Friends’
in 1994, he had got addicted to alcohol.
Then sometime in 1996 while shooting for a film, he met with a Jet ski accident
and was given opioid pills. A year and a half later he was taking fifty-five of
those pills everyday! This followed with a repetitive tale of struggles to give
up the addictions in a rehabilitation center, recovering in some cases and then
again relapsing. The fame he had craved for so much came with a very heavy
price. Regarding his physical appearance while shooting for ‘Friends’ he writes
–‘ When I’m carrying weight, it’s alcohol; When I’m skinny, it’s pills. When I
have a goatee, it’s a lots of pills.’ Though he writes how his fellow actors on
friends supported him through his addiction, I felt he should have devoted more
pages to the days on ‘Friends’ and shared some more behind the stage stories. ‘Friends’
fans are likely to feel a bit disappointed.
There are also encounters with many girlfriends including
Julia Roberts and how he always messed up the relationship as soon as it was
close to maturing. Eventually towards the end of the book, he says that he has
been ‘clean’ for the last 2 / 3 years and was focused on helping others with
fighting addiction
The book came out in 2022 and passed away in 2023 (He was
only 54). Autopsy after his death revealed that he had overdosed on ketamine, a
short-acting anesthetic. He may or may not have relapsed but it brought an end
to a chequered life marked by professional highs and personal lows and a constant
struggle with addiction.
- Amir Bashir
