Matthew Perry's 'unhealthy' obsession on Friends set would haunt him every night

April 15, 2024

Matthew Perry’s brutally honest memoir Friends, Lovers and Big Terrible Things revealed his time in the iconic show Friends was not all pleasant. While the show made him a household name all over the world, some memories from the set troubled the actor to an extent unimaginable to his fans.

The untimely and shocking demise of Matthew Perry on October 28 has shattered millions of fan’s hearts. The TV actor received recognition for his brilliant performance in not just Friends but also in movies like Fools Rush In, Almost Heroes, Three to Tango, The Whole Nine Yards, Serving Sara, and 17 Again. He is being mourned by fans and celebrities alike since the tragic news struck. While his death has made fans turn to Friends to rewatch, the actor once revealed he found the show ‘hard to watch.’

Matthew Perry faced ‘unhealthy’ obsession on Friends set

Matthew Perry revealed that one obsession while on Friends set made his life more difficult when at work. He was a talented actor tied to the craft, and sometimes the dedication haunted him. He needed to know that his comedic style was hitting the right spot with fans.

Speaking of the atmosphere, Matthew recalled: “I felt like I was gonna die if the live audience didn’t laugh, and that’s not healthy for sure. But I could sometimes say a line and the audience wouldn’t laugh, and I would sweat and sometimes go into convulsions.”

The obsession bothered the TV actor even after he left the set and came home. He revealed: “If I didn’t get the laugh I was supposed to get I would freak out. I felt that every single night. This pressure left me in a bad place. I also knew of the six people making that show, only one of them was sick.”

“I would show up blindly hungover”

Matthew Perry’s struggle with addiction is not unknown to his fans. The actor has opened up about his drug and alcohol addiction and how that tainted some of his best memories on the filming set including his time in Friends which was the ‘peak’ of his career.

Matthew admitted that he tried to follow some rules while filming Friends to avoid relapse.

“I made a rule that I would never drink or take anything at work. But I would show up blindly hungover,” the actor confessed. He added that his co-actors helped him and were patient with him during this difficult time.

His memoir also reveals a time when Jennifer Aniston who enacted the legendary role of Rachel in Friends confronted him in a strange but loving way. Aniston told him, “I know you’re drinking, we can smell it.”

Matthew recounted the memory calling it “kind of weird but loving way,” and added that the plural ‘we’ hit him like a ‘sledgehammer.’