Matthew Perry

Matthew Langford Perry (August 19, 1969 – October 28, 2023) was a Canadian-American film and television actor, most famous for his work as Chandler Bing in the sitcom Friends.

Quotes



 * I think actors look for good material and I had heard about this script by Aaron and I read it and thought I had to come back to television. I'm here mostly because of how good the script is and how bad The Whole 10 Yards was.
 * On joining the NBC program Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip – Kevin D. Thompson (September 18, 2006) "'Studio 60' Is Best Show of the Fall", Palm Beach Post, Palm Beach Newspapers, Inc., p. 1D


 * I thought it would be interesting if I came back to television to play somebody somewhat dark. What's bizarre is that we're shooting seven feet from the Friends stage. I know how long it takes to get here from my house.
 * Marc Peyser (September 4, 2006) "Falling for Fall: What's Cool and Coming Your Way: Summer's ending. Get over it. Here's a look at the riches of autumn. First up, 'West Wing' creator Aaron Sorkin rides again with the terrific TV drama 'Studio 60.'", Newsweek, Newsweek Inc., p. 54


 * I have a dark side; it's been pretty well documented. It wouldn't be bad to show that in some light in my work...It's something I no longer fear doing and am actually excited about doing.
 * Lawrie Masterson (October 10, 2004) "Prime Time", The Sunday Telegraph, News Limited, p. V05


 * I'm not as funny as Chandler is. Because Chandler has thirty people writing for him.
 * GQ (November 2000)


 * It's odd. Fifty percent of me feels it's the right time to be closing this. The other 50 percent of me is saying it's more than a show. It's a group of people that love each other. It's a group of people that come together every day trying to make America laugh, and what better thing is there to do than that?
 * On the end of the television program Friends – Susan Young (May 6, 2004) "Adios, amigos: ' Friends ' signs off after a decade of good times", Alameda Times-Star


 * It's been more than a show. It's been a wonderful support group. It's a group of people that love each other, that come together every day to try to make America laugh. What better thing is there to do than that?
 * Gail Pennington (May 2, 2004) "Farewell, "Friends": Sitcom's Finale on Thursday Night May Draw Up to 85 Million Viewers", The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, p. F1


 * In television or a movie I bring my own ego and consequently can mess up. In the theatre I learnt very quickly to shut up and listen. Now I am able to get out of my own way.
 * Neil Norman (May 1, 2003) "Back from the brink: Fame almost destroyed Friends star Matthew Perry. Now, as he makes his West End stage debut, he tells Neil Norman how he beat his addictions", Evening Standard, Associated Newspapers Company, p. 20


 * I've been in the public eye for nine years, and I've gone through different phases with it. At first I loved it. Finally, there's a light shining on me and I've wanted that all this time. Then there were a couple of years where I almost became reclusive because it bothered me so much. The trick is to be able to look at it as something that's ethereal and not real. Fame, or whatever that is, isn't tangible. You can't hang your hat on it. You must be able to sit under your covers and giggle about the nonsense of all of it.
 * Newsday staff (September 13, 2002) "START / Fast Chat Matthew  Perry", Newsday, Newsday Inc., p. D03


 * Even as a child, I had that sort of defense mechanism. If something was awkward, I would try to lighten it up by making people laugh. But like Chandler, I've grown up a little bit in the last eight years and become a lot more comfortable with my serious side. I feel the need to fill the silences a lot less with jokes.
 * Frazier Moore, Associated Press (August 22, 2002) "Perry pondering life after 'Friends'", Deseret Morning News, Deseret News Publishing Co., p. C04


 * The best way I can describe it is: after the show was over, at a party or any — any kind social gathering, if one of us bumped into each other, that was it, that was the end of the night. We just sat with the person all night long — and that was it. You apologized to the people that you were with, but they had to understand you had met somebody special to you, and you were going to talk to that person for the rest of the night. And that's the way it worked. It's certainly the way it worked with all of us. It's just the way it is. … Now, I'm gonna cry now.
 * Closing remarks at the end of Friends: The Reunion (2021)


 * Dating Julia Roberts had been too much for me. I had been constantly certain that she was going to break up with me. Why would she not? I was not enough; I could never be enough; I was broken, bent, unloveable. So instead of facing the inevitable agony of losing her, I broke up with the beautiful and brilliant Julia Roberts.
 * "Matthew Perry on Dating Julia Roberts in the '90s: It 'Had Been Too Much for Me'". People. 24 October 2022

Quotes about Perry

 * He doesn't have to be the funniest guy in the room. Now, he's a guy who is much more secure. He's not afraid to look in the mirror anymore. Underneath all the (stuff) that used to get in his way was a heart of gold. He's really a super-compassionate human being. He's so smart. He's always got good advice. I've gotten free therapy from him for years. He's very intuitive.
 * Matt LeBlanc, interview in Donna Freydkin (April 1, 2004) "A brush with happiness", USA Today, Gannett Co., Inc., p. 01D


 * Matthew is a complete pro. Everyday that we were shooting, we were getting great material.
 * Reginald Hudlin, on directing Perry in the film Serving Sara – Larry Ratliff (August 22, 2002) "Perry finds himself, happiness after rehab stint disrupts 'Sara'", San Antonio Express-News, p. 01F


 * Even when he was going through some painful times of his own, he was always incredibly funny and cheerful and always making me laugh.
 * Elizabeth Hurley, reported in The Star-Ledger staff (August 21, 2002) "Co-stars' relationship is only screen-deep", The Star-Ledger, p. 30