Friends has been a popular TV property since it was on the air more than a decade ago. Still, in recent weeks the former NBC show has received additional attention thanks to a reunion special that most of the cast of Friends will be a part of, which is set to air on the network next month. Although Matthew Perry is missing the NBC special thanks to working on his new play in London, The End of Longing, he recently spoke out about his experience on Friends, admitting that he had really been out of it for a huge chunk of the show’s 10-year run. Here's why.
In an interview with The Chris Evans Breakfast Show, Perry was asked which Friends episode was his least favorite. Instead of answering the specific episode, he then explained that his drug use led to him forgetting entire years on the show, which lasted for 10 seasons on NBC. Here’s what Matthew Perry had to say:
Oh my goodness. I think the answer is I don’t remember three years of it. So none of those... a little bit of the time, I was a little out of it, yeah.
Matthew Perry has been fairly open about his drug use in the past, noting that he was popping pills and drinking a lot following a jet-ski accident in the late nineties. The pills helped him to feel better, but they also affected his memories from the set. While he’s said he wasn’t on drugs while filming, eventually it became impossible to hide his drug use from those who saw him every day. He entered rehab twice during the time he was filming Friends and has been back since. It's a wonder he has been able to pick himself back up and continue to have a career when so many others don't.
During the interview, Perry also mentioned that it’s been great to continue on in his career post-Friends--he’s currently on CBS’ The Odd Couple. He also credits the NBC comedy with helping him to learn how to get into the sweet spot with lines.
It’s great to still be going on and doing stuff… When we were doing Friends when we would rehearse for five days, when we would just shoot the show I would just barely know it, and that’s when I would be at my best.
For more Friends information and more on Perry's play, you can check out the lengthy interview, here.
While Matthew Perry is out of town for the upcoming special on NBC, which is set to look at James Burrows’ major contributions to TV directing, you can catch it on NBC on Sunday, February 21 at 9 p.m. ET. Here's what else the networks have coming up.
