Matthew Perry can’t bring himself to watch “Friends” because it causes him to relive his decades-long struggle with alcohol and drug addiction.
“I can’t watch the show, because I was brutally thin and being beaten down so badly by the disease,” the actor, 53, told CBC Radio’s Tom Power on Nov. 22.
Perry – who played Chandler Bing on the beloved series for 10 years – explained that he’s able to pinpoint which substance he was using — whether alcohol, opiates or cocaine — in each episode.
“I could tell season by season by how I looked, and I don’t think anybody else can, but I certainly could,” the “Serving Sara” star said. “That’s why I don’t want to watch it because that’s what I see – that’s what I notice when I watch it.”
Despite his hesitation in the past, Perry said he’s now open to rewatching the iconic series because of the impact it’s had on so many people.
“I think I’m going to start to watch it, because it really has been – first of all, it was an incredible ride – but it’s been an incredible thing to watch it touch the hearts of different generations,” the “Three to Tango” star said, while the audience applauded.
Perry added that the sitcom has “become this important, significant thing,” so he would be intrigued to “watch that again.”
“It was really funny and all the people were nice, and I’ve been too worried about this, and I want to watch ‘Friends,’ too,” the “Fools Rush In” star concluded.
Perry candidly discussed living with his addiction while filming “Friends” in his new memoir, “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing,” which was released on Nov. 1.
In the bombshell book, Perry went into great detail about how he “nearly” died in 2018 after his colon burst due to his drug and alcohol abuse.
The “Numb” star also shared stories from his ill-fated relationships with A-listers like Cameron Diaz, Julia Roberts and his co-star Jennifer Aniston.
