Matthew Perry

[Milking Keynes]

Agree the Ross/Rachel storyline was the central plot and everything else sort of happened around it.

I agree with others about the mixed feelings regarding MP. It is of course tragic but I don’t think he came across as a particularly likeable person and a lot of people are thinking about Chandler rather than MP. He was unfortunate to be it appears highly susceptible to addiction with the addition of massive wealth to be able to fund it and never really have any need to get clean.

True - 55k is nothing to spend when you earn between $10-20 mill annually from Friends. You would throw money at what you felt you needed right now, immediately, etc. It’s a shame in a way as the money would mean such a lot if redirected - even the smaller amounts.

I’m enjoying the chat here as I find that I need time to process after somebody dies that was part of a series that defined a generation. I remember when Friends first came out and an Irish Times journalist wrote believe me, this is a reason to stay in on a Friday night. I was thinking - no way - go out Friday, stay in Saturday with a takeaway and watch Casualty. Boy, did Friends upend my social life after I finally gave in.

What I’m saying is - after the headlines are dissipating, it’s nice to have a platform to chat about our opinions.

 

[Miss.Chanandler.Bong]

I'm so lucky that I was a child when Friends was on so I was oblivious to his physical giveaways of his troubles on the show.
Very interesting point about him potentially feeling he carried the show.
This is of course just from my perspective but when it was on I always thought Jen and David held the show, then Matt LB and Courtney followed last by Matthew Perry and Lisa. Perhaps it was storylines, how much airtime they had, quotable scripts etc?

Definitely Jen and David when you look at how many season finales revolved around their story. Also I’m sure David is the only one that got to direct episodes

 

[Boredofgrey]

I’m not trying to generalise but how many people with his level of income and influence get clean? From what I’ve seen people that manage to conquer addiction do so through hitting rock bottom. I don’t think MP ever got there. His money always saved him. His healthcare, his assistants, access to “clean” drugs (as in purity etc). Michael Jackson and Whitney ended up in a similar position- money buys doctors off, staff on payroll - surrounded by yes men.

 

[georgiecait]

Definitely Jen and David when you look at how many season finales revolved around their story. Also I’m sure David is the only one that got to direct episodes

Also so interesting to learn that David was hired as the star and was due to be paid the most until he said he wouldn’t do Friends unless they all got paid the same, what a legend!

 

[whathastheworldcometo]

Also so interesting to learn that David was hired as the star and was due to be paid the most until he said he wouldn’t do Friends unless they all got paid the same, what a legend!

Really? I did not know this! I love this, I love David and Ross has always been my favourite.

 

[georgiecait]

Really? I did not know this! I love this, I love David and Ross has always been my favourite.

Yeah! I think it was as the show progressed between seasons 2-3 Jen and David were being paid more and then he advocated for equal pay between them all.

 

[Cacacoisfarraige]

While I liked the character chandler, and thought Matt was very talented, I didn’t like him too much. His comments (twice) about Keanu Reeves put me off. I think the rest of the cast tried to help, but his addictions were too strong for him

 

[Milking Keynes]

Also so interesting to learn that David was hired as the star and was due to be paid the most until he said he wouldn’t do Friends unless they all got paid the same, what a legend!

I never knew this @georgiecait - phenomenal. I feel like the ‘friends’ did not give him the credit for this. Was it ever addressed by the cast?

 

[Curiouscupcake]

I did read the book.
And I thought he came across as incredibly self absorbed and selfish.
I read it thinking that it was an account of addiction by someone who’d cleaned up.
But actually, finding out that he hadn’t, doesn’t surprise me. Because it was very clear that he’d not reached the point of being truly sorry for the effect his addiction had had on others.
He was still very much in the poor me stage, and everything was to blame for his addiction but himself.
When they did the Friends reunion thing, I felt like the others excluded him a bit, didn’t fully interact with him, were a bit embarrassed by him. I felt sorry for him.
I now think he’d probably pushed most of them to the limits of friendship.
I’m certain now that the reason they were fairly slow
to put out statements after his death was because they knew they had to tread carefully, given that the sad truth was likely to come out about how clean he was (not).
I don’t know why I feel compelled to write such a lengthy post; I guess I just feel like his life and death are a perfect example of the fact that actors are always acting, and we never should never necessarily believe what they present as their real face.

You just reminded me… and sorry if it’s been mentioned already, I’m making my way backwards through the thread… didn’t he clearly sound slurred on the reunion show? At the time it was blamed on having had dental work or some thing. Clearly it wasn’t for that reason!

 

[Miss.Chanandler.Bong]

It wasn’t just David with thinking about the others and their salaries. Jen took a pay cut and they worked as a group to negotiate a million per episode

How the 'Friends' cast nabbed their insane salaries of $1 million per episode

The "Friends" stars managed the most impressive salaries ever in TV with their $1 million-per-episode haul. But how they did it is the real trick.

www.businessinsider.com

Also the episodes David directs are some of my favourites

 

[Blurp]

Really? I did not know this! I love this, I love David and Ross has always been my favourite.

Joey and Matt LB for me. Phoebe and Lisa second. Though I could take or leave Friends.

 

[Miss.Chanandler.Bong]

Joey and Matt LB for me. Phoebe and Lisa second. Though I could take or leave Friends.

 

[Shawads]

Yes it's very harsh on your stomach unless you take with a good amount of food in your system and the omeprazole regularly.

Thank you think I’ll try to give it a swerve then

 

[Tangerine Cat]

Yeah! I think it was as the show progressed between seasons 2-3 Jen and David were being paid more and then he advocated for equal pay between them all.

I thought that was Courtney Cox. She was the bigger star at the very beginning and supposedly got them all together to advocate for equal pay and equal billing between them so they stayed united as a group of six.

 

[Miss.Chanandler.Bong]

I thought that was Courtney Cox. She was the bigger star at the very beginning and supposedly got them all together to advocate for equal pay and equal billing between them so they stayed united as a group of six.

IIRC, not so much about money but I’m sure I read Courteney was the one that told them it was only going to work if they were always united and wanted to build a friendship between all of them

 

[GalaxyGirl70]

I think you also need to remember that these drugs (even prescription ones) alter the chemicals in your brain, and once those have altered they rarely go back to what they were before. It's a form of brain damage, and the saddest part is those drugs only really work for a short span of time. Hence very few people are able to find their way to sobriety in whatever form. It really frightens me how easily medication is dispensed these days - painkillers, SSRI's etc.

 

[WadieHaddadsChocolates]

It wasn’t just David with thinking about the others and their salaries. Jen took a pay cut and they worked as a group to negotiate a million per episode

How the 'Friends' cast nabbed their insane salaries of $1 million per episode

The "Friends" stars managed the most impressive salaries ever in TV with their $1 million-per-episode haul. But how they did it is the real trick.

www.businessinsider.com

Also the episodes David directs are some of my favourites

We have to remember it was a million dollars per episode in the nineties too, when one million bought a lot more than it does now. They did 22 episodes per season at one million a piece, for multiple series. That money, invested - especially in housing and especially in California - has meant none of them ever had to work again if they didn't want to or couldn't once the show finally wrapped.

No wonder Perry could afford such an insane addiction and why that corrupt doctor was just bragging about milking him for absurd amounts of money for supplying ketamine that would have cost her a tiny fraction of the money to obtain.

 

[Miss.Chanandler.Bong]

We have to remember it was a million dollars per episode in the nineties too, when one million bought a lot more than it does now. They did 22 episodes per season at one million a piece, for multiple series. That money, invested - especially in housing and especially in California - has meant none of them ever had to work again if they didn't want to or couldn't once the show finally wrapped.

No wonder Perry could afford such an insane addiction and why that corrupt doctor was just bragging about milking him for absurd amounts of money for supplying ketamine that would have cost her a tiny fraction of the money to obtain.

All true plus unlike other shows they must have good contracts for reruns. Can’t begin to imagine how much they all make from those!

 

[vikka]

They got 1 mil per episode for the last season only.
David and Jennifer got the highest salaries those first 2 or so seasons, even though Courteney was better known than Jennifer. This was due to the Ross-and-Rachel story.
David had the idea for the cast to basically be a union and negotiate together, he and Jen took pay cuts for a season or two for that to work.
They get around 20 mil each year from syndication alone. Even without investments, none of them have had to work since Friends ended.

 

[ButtonDownTheHutches]

If Perry had of not made it and had to keep grafting then he might still be alive. All that money and free time with no purpose can be difficult.

Years and years ago - possibly while Friends was still being filmed - I read an interview with him where he said “it’s a very dangerous thing to have all your dreams come true at the age of 25”.

That really struck me, and it was always the first thing I thought of whenever I saw an article about his issues.