The late Matthew Perry made himself a household name with his role as Chandler Bing in the NBC sitcom Friends. Often accredited as the funniest Friend, Chandler was a fan favorite among many. Surprisingly, the most humorous Friend refused to be friends with his co-star Jennifer Aniston after developing feelings for her.
Jennifer Aniston played the role of Rachel Green and made a massive contribution to its popularity over the years. According to the late actor’s memoir, he had a crush on Aniston for a long time. However, things got more interesting when it was revealed that the actress rejected Perry three years before they co-starred in the show.
Also Read: Matthew Perry Requested 2 Things Hours Before His Tragic Death
Why did Matthew Perry refuse to be friends with Jennifer Aniston?
It was revealed in the late actor’s memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing that he had a massive crush on Jennifer Aniston both before and during the show. Three years before they co-starred together in Friends when they met, Matthew Perry immediately fell in love and even expected the same from the Rachel Green star.
As reported by Entertainment Weekly, the Fools Rush In actor shared key details about his career with Jennifer Aniston back then. However, he later realized that it definitely made her think that he loved her in the wrong way. Things went south when he even asked her out on a date.
“Back then I got two jobs in one day — one was Haywire, an America’s Funniest Home Videos-type show, and the other was a sitcom. So I called Jennifer and I said, ‘You’re the first person I wanted to tell this to!’ I could feel ice forming through the phone. Looking back, it was clear that this made her think I liked her too much or in the wrong kind of way… and I only compounded the error by then asking her out”
Unfortunately, Jennifer Aniston couldn’t reciprocate Matthew Perry’s feelings and wanted to remain just friends with him. On the other hand, the late actor refused to be friends as well.
“She declined (which made it very difficult to actually go out with her), but said that she’d love to be friends with me, and I compounded the compound by blurting, ‘We can’t be friends!'”
But looks like, fate had it and they once again crossed paths on the set of the long-running show. Interestingly, Matthew Perry still couldn’t stop crushing over the Murder Mystery actress even after being rejected once.
Matthew Perry reunited with Jennifer Aniston in Friends
Friends ran for a long 10 seasons and 236 episodes. The show broke several records and with an enormous fanbase, made its name as one of the best TV shows of all time. When the 17 Again actor reunited on the show, he realized that his feelings for Jennifer Aniston weren’t over.
“Fairly early in the making of Friends I realized that I was still crushing badly on Jennifer Aniston. Our hellos and goodbyes became awkward. And then I’d ask myself, ‘How long can I look at her? Is three seconds too long?'”
But things ultimately became better after their popularity rose due to the show and the feelings faded away. Additionally, the late actor also crushed over his other two female co-stars Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow.
Recently, Matthew Perry was found dead in his hot tub at his Los Angeles home without any signs of foul play. Although he had a history of drug and alcohol, he recovered from that and became a spokesperson for rehabilitation. Starting from his Friends co-stars to fans worldwide, everyone was shocked and presented the actor’s friends and family with condolences.
Friends can be streamed on Max.
