Throughout its 10-season run, Friends had quite an impressive lineup of guest stars, from George Clooney and Noah Wyle to Friends superfan Reese Witherspoon and Paul Rudd, who recurred throughout the final two seasons as Phoebe’s love interest, Mike. Now, the Ant-Man actor specifically is reflecting on his time on the NBC sitcom and what it was like working with the late Matthew Perry.
Rudd is the latest Friends guest star to speak highly about Perry, who passed away in 2023. Even despite coming onto the show towards the end, the Marvel star recalled how nice the Chandler actor was, telling WSJ that he once walked past his dressing room and he immediately wanted him to pull up a chair and play video games:
[Perry said,] ‘Hey, man, come on in.’ … I’m not really a gamer. I don’t know if he was either. But I remember thinking, this guy doesn’t really know me at all, and he’s like, ‘Come on in,’ and we’re just playing videogames. And when I think of him, I remember that.
Having that moment with Perry is certainly special, and it seems like Redd cherishes the memory. It was also a pretty great way to bond, and it really shows the kind of person the late actor was. It couldn’t have been easy for the Death of a Unicorn actor to come onto Friends during its ninth season, and the 17 Again actor certainly made it a little easier. Now, he has that moment forever.
Rudd has been open about his time on Friends before, including how strange it was to be included in the series finale since he wasn’t even on the show for very long. However, he definitely made an impact on the comedy, and to this day, people will talk to him about the great sitcom. That being said, despite serving as a big character for Phoebe’s story arc, Rudd still felt a bit weird since it was such a massive time for the main actors. Regardless, it seems like the role had quite an impact on him for a number of reasons.
Meanwhile, Matthew Perry’s memory continues to live on thanks to Friends being available to those with a Max subscription and so many people recalling their favorite memories of him. His former co-star Ione Skye shared the text exchange she had when he reached out to her before his death, while Yvette Nicole Brown recalled working with him and their initially awkward dynamic. It’s been over a year since he died, but he will certainly live on forever.
Considering that Paul Rudd appeared in the final two seasons of Friends, it makes me wonder just what other special moments he’s shared with Perry or the rest of the cast. But only time will tell if he’ll give those stories up. At the very least, fans can always watch his episodes and Matthew Perry's brilliant performance as Chandler Bing on Max.
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