Courteney Cox Reveals Matthew Perry's Self-Worth Suffered Doing 'Friends'
Courteney Cox reveals that even though "Friends" was such a positive show and people who were watching cannot help but feel good and chill, her co-star Matthew Perry, was anything but. As the cynical Chandler Bing, Matthew Perry, a co-star on the hit NBC sitcom Friends, put a lot of weight on himself to crack jokes and this somehow affected his mental health and self-worth.
Their performances as Monica Gellar and Bing in the popular "90s show about five twenty-somethings" in New York City made them household stars.
Cox, 57, feels that while filming the program at Warner Brothers studios in Los Angeles, her former co-star felt forced to make the studio audience laugh out loud. He allegedly banked on that ability to feel worthy.
According to an interview she gave to the Sunday Times, he placed himself under a great deal of stress. It's mind-boggling how much he valued himself based on it, Cox said.
Perry, David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc, and Lisa Kudrow reunited for "The One Where They Get Back Together in 2021," a retrospective special on the show.
Even though his battle with prescription drugs and alcohol began long before "Friends" went off the air in 2004, 52-year-old Perry's speech slurred during the reunion. This was noticed by observant fans.
Cox assured now though that her co-star is actually doing well these days. "He has "struggled for a long time," Cox said. My opinion of him is that he's doing quite well right now," she added.
Cox said that whatever their ups and downs were, she'll never regret her stint with the show. "No, that was such a huge part of my life," she said. "It was such a lucky situation that I fell into the show, and I went through so many things in those 10 years," she added.
She said that her relationship with her co-stars was a good one, because they were all comfortable with each other. They also laughed together a lot.
"Lisa's laugh alone is the most infectious laugh I've ever heard. It's adorable. We have deep conversations, we also have silly times," she revealed.
What Cox said about Perry though is probably hitting the surface only. Reportedly, Perry will be sharing so much more about his struggles with the show in an upcoming memoir, hitting shelves on November 1. It was a lucrative deal, so he's not likely to skimp on the details.
"To write the 256-page autobiography titled Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, the Massachusetts native was paid in the "mid-seven figures," according to Deadline.
It is expected that he will talk about his drug and alcohol abuse as well as the gossip surrounding his relationship with his Friends co-stars, according to a source who spoke to Us Weekly.
"It wasn't always a bed of roses for Matthew on and off the Friends set. He'll also discuss what it was like at the reunion, both good and bad," the source revealed.
"It's not going to be salacious or mean, just totally honest. But given the nature of Matt's life and his experiences, that guarantees this will be an incredibly juicy read!," the source added.
