Many actors have chosen not to watch the television shows or movies that they are in, however, Matthew Perry, who starred in “Friends” says he never watched the show due to the addiction battle he faced during his time on the show.
In November, Perry released his memoir titled, “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.” In his book, he discusses his time on the hit TV show and the addiction struggles he faced during that time period.
Talking about his memoir during an interview with CBC, Perry revealed the reason why he has never watched the show that is still watched today by many fans.
Speaking of the show, Perry stated that if he watched it, he would be able to tell exactly what substance he was using based on his appearance.
He said, “I didn’t watch the show, and haven’t watched the show, because I could go, ‘drinking, opiates, drinking, cocaine,” the actor said. “I could tell season by season by how I looked. That’s why I don’t wanna watch it because that’s what I see.”
“I was taking 55 Vicodin a day, I weighed 128 lbs, I was on ‘Friends’ getting watched by 30 million people and that’s why I can’t watch the show, ’cause I was brutally thin,” he continued.
Perry said, “If you gauge my weight from season to season — when I’m carrying weight, it’s alcohol; when I am skinny, it’s pills. When I have a goatee, it’s lots of pills.”
In an interview with People, Perry stated that he has been to rehab 15 times and has dealt with major health issues due to his addiction over the years. He even stated that at one point, his colon burst because of opioid overuse.
Perry played Chandler Bing on “Friends” for 10 seasons, from 1994 until 2004. His co-stars on the show were Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, and Matt LeBlanc.
The actors returned to the set of “Friends” for a reunion special in 2021 where they relived some of the show’s best moments, read scripts, and participated in a talk show talking about the beloved sitcom.
