Lisa Kudrow has begun to rewatch old episodes of Friends to remember her late co-star Matthew Perry. For years after the hit sitcom, US actress Kudrow said she could not watch herself playing Phoebe Buffay, a role which shot her to global stardom opposite her castmates Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc, Jennifer Aniston and Perry.
Last October, Perry was found unresponsive in the pool at his residence and was pronounced dead at the age of 54. His death was ruled an accident from the acute effects of ketamine, but the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed it was working on an “open investigation” into the circumstances of his death.
On rewatching Friends, Kudrow told The Hollywood Reporter: “Honestly, I wasn’t able to watch it because it’s too embarrassing to watch yourself. But if I make it about Matthew, then that’s OK. And it’s just celebrating how hilarious he was — and that is what I want to remember (about him).”
Perry played sarcastic and witty Chandler Bing in the sitcom, opposite Cox who played his on-screen wife Monica Geller and Schwimmer who played her brother Ross Geller, while Aniston played Schwimmer’s on-screen love interest Rachel Green and LeBlanc starred as promiscuous yet dim-witted Joey Tribbiani.
“You’re just laughing all day long, basically, in between the scenes, because these are funny people,” Kudrow said. “And especially someone like Matthew, whose goal was ‘How many laughs can I get in real life every day?’. So we were always laughing so hard, tears were flying out of our faces.”
When asked how she hoped the world will remember Perry, Kudrow added: “I think the world is remembering him the way he wanted to be remembered. I think that’s happening (already).”
Her comments come after a foundation was set up in Perry’s name to help those struggling with addiction. Perry was open about his battle with substance abuse and addiction and had set up a sober living facility for men with similar issues.
The late actor was honoured during the in memoriam segment at the Bafta TV Awards ceremony last month and at the Emmy Awards in January.
Kudrow will next be seen in the Apple TV+ series Time Bandits from Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement and Iain Morris, adapted from Terry Gilliam’s 1981 fantasy classic. The original film starred Gilliam’s Monty Python co-stars John Cleese and Sir Michael Palin, as well as Sir Sean Connery, Shelley Duvall and Sir Ian Holm.
