In an interview with Deadline, George Clooney opened up about Matthew Perry’s lifelong desire to be in a sitcom. Perry’s dream came true in 1994 when he was cast as Chandler Bing in Friends, one of the most widely-known and beloved sitcoms.
Despite the show’s immense popularity, Clooney, who starred in ER at the same time Friends was first released, revealed that the role didn’t bring Perry the happiness he had anticipated. Clooney shared Perry’s sentiments from their early days, saying, “He was a kid, and all he would say to us, I mean me, Richard Kind, and Grant Heslov, was, ‘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.'”
However, once Perry achieved this dream with one of the best sitcoms ever, he still struggled with happiness. Perry had openly discussed his battles with addiction, which began with alcohol at the age of 14.
Clooney expressed awareness of Perry’s unhappiness, saying, “We just knew that he wasn’t happy, and I had no idea he was doing what, 12 Vicodin a day and all the stuff he talked about, all that heartbreaking stuff.” Clooney emphasized that success, money, and fame don’t automatically guarantee happiness, emphasizing the importance of being content with oneself and one’s life.
The two actors had known each other since Perry was 16, playing paddle tennis together. Clooney recalled Perry as a “great, funny, funny, funny kid.”
Perry passed away on October 28, and the post-mortem examination reported that he died from the acute effects of ketamine. Perry had been prescribed ketamine and was taking regular infusions. In his memoir, “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir,” Perry expressed his hope to use his experience and struggles to help others dealing with addiction. He stated, “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.” Perry wished to be remembered for his efforts to help others rather than just for his role in Friends.