Matthew Perry was a great actor and a fan favorite, thanks to his role in the sitcom FRIENDS. However, he never claimed that his success as an actor was solely because of his talent. Despite his well-documented challenges with alcohol addiction, Perry didn’t attribute his struggles to fame. However, his career took a U-turn in 2001 when he abruptly left the set of Serving Sara and entered rehab.
Even though he landed the role of his life by playing Chandler in FRIENDS, it took two years before he secured a lead role in the romantic comedy Fools Rush In opposite Salma Hayek. However, he wasn’t ready for the pressure that came along.
Matthew Perry Couldn’t Handle The Pressure Of The Lead Role
While going back to his place after the first day of filming, he asked the driver to stop the car roadside. Matthew Perry described how he exited the car and stood by the roadside and felt like vomiting.
Matthew Perry said (via Web Archive):
“I got out of the car and as I stood by the side of the road, I thought I was going to throw up. I thought, ‘What have I gotten myself into?’ ”
According to the actor, he felt burdened by the responsibility of playing the lead in a $24 million film. Initially, he wasn’t familiar with the demands of working on a film after years of working on sitcoms recorded in front of a live audience with just three cameras.
Perry added:
“You’re not hearing any laughter when you’re on a movie set. You’re shooting it out of order, which I had never experienced before. You’re meeting the girl, and, the day before, you married the girl.”
Matthew Perry went on to star in two more films, Almost Heroes in 1997 and Three to Tango in 1999, both of which received underwhelming responses- commercially as well as critically. However, his portrayal of a nervous dentist in the comedy The Whole Nine Yards received a positive response.
Matthew Perry’s FRIENDS Co-star Failed To Help Him
While Mathew Perry’s FRIENDS character Chandler was the reason for many people’s laughter, behind the scenes, the actor battled with drug and alcohol addiction. Even during the production phase of the sitcom, Perry grappled with intense withdrawal symptoms post-rehab.
Lisa Kudrow, known for her role as Phoebe Buffay, recalled observing Perry’s struggles during the filming, especially during the early 2000s. She also talked about the challenges faced by the rest of the cast members as they were unable to help Perry.
Kudrow told New York Times:
“When Matthew was sick, it was not fun. We were just hopelessly standing on the sidelines. We were hurting a lot.”
Kudrow also asserted that despite his major struggles, the actor was still among the most funny individuals she had come across in her life, alongside being a great co-star.
