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It was an epic ten season run for Friends, and despite the fact that the show wrapped up years ago, fans still can’t help but to binge on reruns.
Matthew Perry was a major part of the show’s comedy, however, his reality behind the scenes while shooting the popular series was a difficult one. In the following, we’re going to reveal some of the extremes Perry was forced to deal with during his time on the series.
Facing addiction issues, Perry’s memorable wedding scene with Courteney Cox took a dark once the shoot came to an end. We’ll reveal what went down, and other scenes that turned into a mess for the actor, while most fans didn’t even know he was facing these types of issues at the time.
Matthew Perry Admitted He Didn’t Know How To Stop His Addiction Issues While Filming Friends
Matthew Perry’s career on television was soaring at the time. However, it was a different reality behind the scenes as the actor didn’t know how to stop his addiction issues. At one point in time, he was taking 55 Vicodin a day while filming Friends. The actor would typically make different excuses to various doctors in order to obtain a supply.
He revealed alongside Metro, “I would fake back injuries. I would fake migraine headaches. I had eight doctors going at the same time,’ he told the publication. ‘I would wake up and have to get 55 Vicodin that day, and figure out how to do it. When you’re a drug addict, it’s all math.”
Perry was in his mind a lot at the time, needing to always up the dose in order to feel ‘good’. However, his purpose of taking the medication was simple.
“I wasn’t doing it to feel high or to feel good. I certainly wasn’t a partier, I just wanted to sit on my couch, take five Vicodin and watch a movie. That was heaven for me. It no longer is.”
Perry’s issues hit rock bottom during his most important moment on Friends.
Matthew Perry Was Driven To Rehab In A Pickup Truck Following His Iconic Wedding Scene With Courteney Cox
The One with Monica and Chandler’s Wedding aired back in May of 2001. The season 7 episode was a two part special and one fans have fond memories of, especially given Rachel’s reveal at the end, along with Monica and Chandler giving their, “I dos.”
Despite the positive moment for the series, things were tainted behind the scenes for Matthew Perry. At the high of his career with the sitcom, he was picked up and driven to rehab as soon as the cameras stopped rolling.
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“I married Monica and got driven back to the treatment center — at the height of my highest point in Friends, the highest point in my career, the iconic moment on the iconic show — in a pickup truck helmed by a sober technician.”
Jennifer Aniston was one of Perry’s co-stars that tried to help during his battles behind the scenes, advising the actor to get help. Following Perry’s revelations as to what he was going through, Aniston admitted she didn’t know how deep Matthew’s issues really were.
“I didn’t understand the level of anxiety and self-torture that was put on Matthew Perry if he didn’t get that laugh, and the devastation that he felt. Which makes a lot of sense.”
Things wouldn’t get better for Perry following his season 7 rehab stint, as the actor felt “dead inside” during the filming of the final episode.
Matthew Perry ‘Felt Nothing’ During The Friends Finale, While The Rest Of His Castmates Broke Down
It was the Friends finale as the series was coming to an end after a decade long run. The cast clearly had a close connection behind the scenes, and one can only imagine how emotional it was to shoot.
However, things were different for Matthew Perry at the time. Once again, he was facing addiction issues and generally felt no emotions at the time. Even Matt LeBlanc was crying during the finale, which really showed Perry how difficult the moment was. Nonetheless, he couldn’t feel any sense of emotion.
“We had made 237 episodes, including this last one, called, appropriately enough, The Last One. Jennifer Aniston was sobbing — after a while, I was amazed she had any water left in her entire body. Even Matt LeBlanc was crying,” he writes. “But I felt nothing.”
“I couldn’t tell if that was because of the opioid buprenorphine I was taking, or if I was just generally dead inside,” he adds.
In 2018, Perry faced a major health scare and was given a minor chance to live. Thankfully, he was able to overcome it, and he continues to be on a sobriety path these days.
