Matthew Perry’s breakout role in Friends gave him the opportunity to use his talent and contribute to the show. For many fans, he will always be synonymous with Chandler Bing. In fact, the creators of the series even allowed him to join the screenwriting process.
Perry unfortunately passed away at the age of 54 this Saturday. According to the reports, he died of apparent drowning. While fans around the world are mourning the actor’s tragic death, his legacy will forever live on.
In celebration of Matthew Perry’s iconic portrayal of Chandler Bing, we’ve listed some facts about the character that even die-hard fans might not be aware of.
5. Chandler Bing Was Supposed To Be A Supporting Character
It would be difficult to imagine a show like Friends without Chandler Bing, much less when he’s not in the ensemble cast. In fact, he and Phoebe Buffay were originally written as supporting roles.
In the first draft, it was planned that Monica and Joey would be the main love team in the show, but the writers suddenly had a shift of heart when they saw how good Perry and Courteney Cox’s chemistry on-screen.
4. Matthew Perry Made Chandler Bing Awkward Around Girls
Fans would notice how Chandler Bing becomes uneasy when he’s around women. He would stammer and sometimes blurt out weird jokes. Matthew Perry portrayed his character the same way he acted around ladies.
This made the viewers laugh and cringe whenever Chandler tried to flirt, but fans also found this trait relatable, which made them love the character even more.
3. Chandler Bing’s And Matthew Perry’s Parents Were Divorced
In the show, Chandler’s parents separated when he was only nine years old, while Perry’s father left when he was barely a year old, leaving his mother to raise a son singlehandedly.
Perry’s father was also in the show business. In fact, he made an appearance in Friends as Tate Donovan’s character’s father.
RELATED: Matthew Perry Dead at 54- How Did the FRIENDS Star Die?
2. Chandler Bing’s Job Revolves Around Data Processing
One of the biggest mysteries in the show was Chandler’s job. He mostly kept his work private even to his closest friends. He actually had several professions throughout the show, but in the majority of the series, he operated in data processing.
His job mostly revolved around retrieving and classifying data for future use, which also involved some statistical analysis and configuration.
1. Matthew Perry Contributed His Own Jokes
Chandler Bing was the comedian in Friends, and it was all thanks to Perry for his talent in coming up with witty jokes. According to ScoopWhoop, he was the only cast member who was given the privilege to share input in the script.
Perry’s sharp mind and great sense of humor shaped Chandler’s personality and made the character even more likable and relatable to the audience.
RELATED: “I’ve been too worried about this”: Matthew Perry Did Not Watch FRIENDS For Years For a Sad Reason
