In a new interview, the 'ER' alum, who made an appearance as Dr. Michael Mitchell on the hit sitcom, shares what the late actor was like off camera as he reflects on their friendship.
- Dec 20, 2023
AceShowbiz - While Matthew Perry was best known for his role as Chandler Bing on popular sitcom "Friends", it's now said that the late actor wasn't happy while being on the show. In a new interview, George Clooney shared what Matthew was like off camera as he reflected on their friendship.
"I knew Matt when he was 16 years old," George revealed to Deadline in an interview published on Tuesday, December 19. "We used to play paddle tennis together... And he was a great, funny, funny, funny kid."
George, who made an appearance as Dr. Michael Mitchell on the hit sitcom, shared that Matthew would tell him how much he wanted to be on a sitcom when hanging out with fellow actors Richard Kind and Grant Heslov. "I just want to get on a sitcom, man. I just want to get on a regular sitcom and I would be the happiest man on earth," Matthew said, according to George.
Despite that, the "Ocean's Eleven" star noted that Matthew didn't feel content even when he landed the role of the funny pal on "Friends", which also starred Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc. "He got on probably one of the best ever," George said of the show. "He wasn't happy. It didn't bring him joy or happiness or peace."
The "ER" alum continued, "And watching that go on on the lot-we were at Warner Brothers, we were there right next to each other-it was hard to watch because we didn't know what was going through him. We just knew that he wasn't happy."
When it comes to Matthew's addiction struggles, George admitted, "I had no idea he was doing what, 12 Vicodin a day and all the stuff he talked about, all that heartbreaking stuff." He added, "It also just tells you that success and money and all those things, it doesn't just automatically bring you happiness. You have to be happy with yourself and your life."
Prior to his death in October due to the acute effects of ketamine, Matthew once said that he didn't want to be remembered just as a "Friends" star. "I would like to be remembered as somebody who lived well, loved well, was a seeker," Matthew shared on the "Q With Tom Power" podcast in 2022 while promoting his memoir "Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing". "And his paramount thing is that he wants to help people. That's what I want."
"The best thing about me, bar none, is that if somebody comes to me and says, 'I can't stop drinking, can you help me?' I can say 'yes' and follow up and do it," he went on saying. "When I die, I don't want 'Friends' to be the first thing that's mentioned. I want that to be the first thing that's mentioned. And I'm gonna live the rest of my life proving that."
