Hollywood actor George Clooney talked about his connection with the late actor Matthew Perry while promoting “The Boys in the Boat,” his latest film. He has disclosed that, because of his battles with addiction, the celebrity and riches that came with playing in “Friends” didn’t bring him happiness.
Clooney reminisced on his first encounter with Perry, saying, “I knew Matt when he was 16 years old.” We used to share games of paddle tennis. He is roughly ten years my junior. He was a wonderful, hilarious, hilarious child. He went on to say that Perry aimed to play the lead in a sitcom, which he achieved with the role of Chandler Bing in “Friends.”
What Did George Clooney Say?
More information on George Clooney’s longtime friendship with Matthew Perry is being revealed, along with his thoughts on why the actor’s success on Friends didn’t fulfill his lifelong dream of happiness.
During the promotion of his latest film, The Boys in the Boat, George Clooney, 62, disclosed details about his partnership with Perry. Clooney mentioned in particular how he had seen Perry’s battles with addiction years prior, when the two were starred on NBC’s Friends and ER, respectively.
“I was friends with Matt when he was sixteen,” Clooney said to Deadline. “We used to get together and play paddle tennis. He is roughly ten years my junior. He was also a wonderful, hilarious, hilarious young man.”
When Perry “was a kid,” the Oceans Eleven actor recalls, “he would often share his dreams about landing a role on a hit TV show.”
“He would only say, ‘I just want to get on a comedy, guy,’ to Richard Kind, Grant Heslov, and me. He remembered telling the publication, “I would be the happiest man on earth if I could just get on a regular sitcom.”
Even after Perry was cast as Chandler Bing on Friends, Clooney claimed he wasn’t satisfied. He stated that although Perry’s achievement had fulfilled his childhood ambitions, it “didn’t bring him joy, happiness, or peace.”
Clooney and Friends were shot “side by side” on the same NBC soundstage, so they would often cross paths. Friends ran from 1994 to 2004, while ER ran from 1994 to 2009. Clooney even made a cameo appearance in a 1995 episode of the venerable sitcom.
We were standing next to each other at Warner Brothers, so it was difficult to witness that happen on the lot. We had no idea what was going through Perry, and the actor had talked extensively about his issue with substance misuse throughout his life.
We just knew he wasn’t happy, and I had no idea he was taking up to 12 Vicodin a day in addition to all the terrible things he talked about. It also only conveys the message that material wealth and other achievements do not guarantee pleasure,” he continued. “You have to be happy with yourself and your life.”
At his Los Angeles residence, Perry was discovered deceased on October 28. He was 54 years old. The Los Angeles County Coroner’s autopsy report, which PEOPLE was able to get, revealed last week that the Friends star passed away from acute ketamine effects. The record included the following as contributing causes to his demise: effects of buprenorphine, coronary artery disease, and drowning.
The autopsy stated that Perry had been “reportedly clean for 19 months” prior to his death, but in addition, he was receiving ketamine infusion therapy, with his most recent session occurring 1.5 weeks prior to the inadvertent drowning. The coroner did point out that since ketamine has a half-life of three to four hours or less, the ketamine in his system at the time of death could not have come from that infusion therapy.
The 17 Again star has never shied away from discussing his battles with addiction. Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, Perry’s memoir from 2022, details his sober path and the pride he felt in maintaining abstinence.
I wanted to share when I was safe from returning to the dark side, he told the reporters at the time. I had to wait until I was very comfortably sober and out of the active disease of alcoholism and addiction before I could write anything down. If I did, I was pretty sure it would help other people.
While appearing in Friends, Perry did battle with substance usage, but he talked highly of the benefits the role offered him and other cast members, including Jennifer Aniston. David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and Courteney Cox.
