“I think you actually have to have all of your dreams come true to realize they are the wrong dreams,” pointed out 53-year-old Matthew Perry in his memoir “Friends, Lovers, and The Big Terrible Thing.”
Nearly three years after the actor’s death, Netflix is revisiting his life and legacy in “The One About Matthew Perry,” a three-part documentary premiering October 27. Directed by Mary Robertson, the series features interviews with Perry’s sister, Mia Perry Bowick and close friends, alongside archival footage from his family collection.
The actor who gave life to our favorite sarcastic and insecure Chandler Bing on “Friends” appeared in 236 episodes of this sitcom, which spanned 10 seasons over 10 years. He also became part of a generation’s identity and shared valuable life lessons.
But while Chandler Bing spent most of his days surrounded by laughs and the company of his friends and lover Monica (Courteney Cox), Perry’s real life wasn’t fun and easy at all.
After “Friends” stopped airing in 2004, Perry was candid about his alcohol addiction, which he struggled with for decades. He died of an overdose at 54 years old on October 28, 2023, in his home in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles.
His sudden death concerned and shocked the entire world, as he seemed to be at a healthy point in his life, considering the publication of his memoir in 2022 and his participation in the TV special “Friends: The Reunion” in 2021.
His memoir “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing” is now a window through which his fans can take a deep look into his success while playing Chandler, his difficult relationship with his dad, his complicated romantic relationships and his long journey towards sobriety.
According to Netflix, the documentary traces Perry’s journey “from rising comedic star to the man the world still loves as their favorite Friend.”
The one about his early years
Matthew Perry was born in 1969 in Massachusetts, but was raised in Ottawa, Canada, where he lived with his mom until he was a teenager. He then moved to L.A. with his dad, John Bennett Perry, to pursue an acting career.
As he shares in his memoir, professional success and popularity were not easy to achieve. Before he was cast as Chandler Bing in “Friends,” he appeared in series like “Boys Will Be Boys,” “Sydney” and “Home Free.” Even so, he struggled to establish himself as a renowned actor and faced financial difficulties. He explains in his book that right before the “Friends” opportunity came, he told his agents that he needed a job immediately because, per his business manager, he was broke.
But “Friends” arrived in 1994, and with it, the beginning of his era as one of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
His character in this popular sitcom rapidly reached people’s hearts. As the show went on for a decade, fans followed his story from his early days as a monotonous office worker to the most mature stage in his life, an era marked by his love and commitment to Monica and becoming a father. “Friends” fans connected with Chandler’s lack of self-esteem, his constant questions about his life and future, as well as his sarcastic and dark humour.
Perry’s gift for physical comedy made him truly embody the character of Chandler Bing. Perry used both facial expressions and body language to represent emotions, feelings and concerns, and this gift was shown throughout the series. In “The One Where Everybody Finds Out” episode of “Friends,” his facial expressions — his lip trembling and his quivering voice — when he pretends to be interested in Phoebe, accurately show how uncomfortable he was, even though he was trying to hide it.
But there was also something about Chandler that made Perry the right actor to play him: he was like him. The actor remembers reading the “Friends” audition script for the first time and realizing his attitudes, life perception and struggles were similar to Chandler’s. For this reason, as he explains in his memoir, even some of his colleagues auditioning for the role of Chandler asked for advice on how to play him. He was meant to play Chandler from the beginning.
The one about his acting legacy
Even though he will always be remembered as the sarcastic Chandler, Perry’s film and television career went far beyond “Friends.”
He appeared in movies such as “Fools Rush In,” “Three to Tango,” “The Whole Nine Yards” and “17 Again”. But television will always shine among his resume. Besides “Friends,” he also made appearances in “Cougar Town” and “The Odd Couple,” to name a few.
“The Odd Couple” is one of his most remembered TV shows, for which he was not only one of the main characters but also one of the writers. In this show, he plays Oscar Madison, a chaotic but charming radio host. The audience found it easy to connect with him because of his vulnerability and humour.
His creative talent also showed up when he took a step forward and decided to start writing. He appeared in “Sexual Perversity in Chicago” in 2003. “The End of Longing” marked his debut as a writer, a dark comedy play that follows four 40-year-old lonesome people at a bar, in which he also starred.
Chandler was part of everyone’s lives. The actor behind him, however, was in the middle of a complex addiction to alcohol, and in a constant fight to overcome it.
The one about the big terrible thing
When Perry wrote “Friends, Lovers, and The Big Terrible Thing,” he was very open about his struggles with alcohol. Although fans closely followed his relapses and recovery process, his memoir became an honest self-portrait, with Perry speaking about it in his own words.
He confesses without restraint that he had his first drink when he was 14, and that event marked the beginning of a long and hard relationship with alcohol, strengthened by his sudden fame, failed relationship attempts and self-esteem problems.
With this memoir, Perry manages to let people know the person behind all the professional success and apparently perfect life. This book also works as a source of hope for people struggling with the same problems, which was always one of Perry’s purposes when writing it.
“When someone does something nice for someone else, I see God. But you can’t give away something you don’t have,” Perry wrote in his book. “So, I try to improve myself daily. When those moments come and I am needed, I’ve worked out my s*t, and do what we are all here for, which is simply to help other people.”
Three years after his death, “The One About Matthew Perry” documentary aims to remember the actor beyond his character in “Friends,” as well as get closer to his personal life, his struggles and his legacy. But his loyal fans are also looking for a closer look at other aspects of his life, like his relationship with his sister, his hobbies and his thoughts during his last years.
Matthew Perry was and always will be more than the actor who played Chandler Bing. He dedicated his life to entertain and make people laugh. Moreover, he used his own struggles to help other people fight that big, terrible thing.
“The One About Matthew Perry” premieres October 27 on Netflix.
Edited by Adilene Gomez Santiago and Nia Crichelle Robertson