The world lost one of its most beloved actors today, Matthew Perry. The 54-year-old, famous for portraying Chandler Bing, was found dead in his home due to an apparent drowning. Investigations are underway. The star, at the peak of his career, also struggled with addiction, he once had to be driven to rehab after filming the famous wedding scene on Friends.
Matthew Perry Admitted to Having Addiction Problems at the Peak of His Career!
Promptly after the completion of filming Monica and Chandler’s wedding scene, actor Matthew Perry was driven to rehab in 2001. He revealed in his memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing,
“I married Monica and got driven back to the treatment center — at the height of my highest point in Friends, the highest point in my career, the iconic moment on the iconic show — in a pickup truck helmed by a sober technician.”
Nobody would have thought that such a happy occasion on screen could have such an ending in real life. The rest of the cast members admitted to not being aware of the severity of the situation until that day. Jennifer Aniston, who played Rachel Green on the show, revealed to Hello Magazine,
“I didn’t understand the level of anxiety and self-torture that was put on Matthew Perry if he didn’t get that laugh, and the devastation that he felt. Which makes a lot of sense.”
The actor also disclosed that he had checked into rehab 15 times and undergone about 14 surgeries to repair the damage inflicted on his stomach lining due to years of abuse. However, he embarked on his path to recovery in 2002 and made a vow to heal and improve himself since that time.
Matthew Perry’s Addiction Issue Reached an Extreme Point Here
During the height of Matthew Perry’s television career, his fame soared on screen. Yet, behind the scenes, a different and troubling reality unfolded.
The actor grappled with addiction, struggling to find a way to stop his escalating issues. At one instance, he found himself taking 55 Vicodin pills daily, hiding behind elaborate excuses that persuaded his eight different doctors, all while continuing to film Friends. In a New York Times interview, he stated,
“I would fake back injuries. I would fake migraine headaches. I had eight doctors going at the same time,–I would wake up and have to get 55 Vicodin that day, and figure out how to do it. When you’re a drug addict, it’s all math.”
He continued by stating,
“And then I go to this place, and I’m going to take five because I’m going to be there longer. It’s exhausting but you have to do it or you get very, very sick. I wasn’t doing it to feel high or to feel good. I certainly wasn’t a partyer; I just wanted to sit on my couch, take five Vicodin and watch a movie. That was heaven for me. It no longer is.”
Perry also shared in the interview that he had been clean for 18 months then, signifying his recent victory over drugs and alcohol. Indicating that he was newly sober when the iconic Friends reunion aired in May 2021.
All episodes of Friends are available on Netflix to stream.
