Entertainment
Friends star Matthew Perry almost missed reunion special following emergency surgery: ‘I couldn’t not show up’-Stella Akinwumi-Entertainment – Metro
‘So, what I chose to do was just go and do the best that I could.’
Matthew was almost forced the miss the Friends reunion last year (Picture: AP/Getty)
Matthew Perry revealed that he almost skipped the highly-anticipated Friends reunion last year following an emergency dental surgery.
In the comedian’s latest memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, the Chandler Bing actor opens up about suffering from substance abuse for several years, including drugs and alcohol.
Before the highly-publicised Friends reunion was filmed, which saw co-stars Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt Le Blanc and David Schwimmer revisiting the sets of the original show, Matthew had an urgent dental appointment.
Talking to Nightline, he shared that the surgery made his ‘mouth feel like fire,’ as he struggled to get well for the reunion special which was fronted by Late Late host James Corden.
‘I couldn’t not show up,’ he told Diane Sawyer for ABC News.
‘So, what I chose to do was just go and do the best that I could.’
In his interview with Diana Sawyer, Matthew opened up about his battle with addiction on the hit sitcom (Picture: ABC News)
The squad got back together for the special reunion last year (Picture: David Schwimmer/Instagram)
In his book, Matthew revealed that Friends fans would be able to tell what drugs he was using just by watching the show, following his 1997 jet ski accident which resulted in his addiction to Vicodin, a prescription painkiller that’s supposed to treat moderate to severe pain.
‘You can track the trajectory for my addiction if you gauge my weight from season to season,’ he wrote in an extract obtained by Page Six.
‘When I’m carrying weight, it’s alcohol; when I’m skinny, it’s pills; when I have a goatee, it’s lots of pills.’
During the hour-long special with Diana, Matthew looked on the verge of tears after watching himself as Chandler in season three, due to his slender frame at the time.
Matthew also revealed that after he went straight to rehab after filming Chandler and Monica’s wedding in the season seven finale (Picture: NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
‘Course It’s very hard to watch that, because in this weird way I feel sorry for that guy, ’cause that’s a guy that’s out of control,’ he told the 76-year-old broadcast journalist.
‘I didn’t know what was going on with me. I weighed 155lbs on my way to 128lbs.
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‘I feel too sorry for that guy, he’s going through too much – and it’s me, and I remember that, and I didn’t understand what was going on,’ he said.
‘But again I’m sorry, and I’m so grateful to not be that anymore… but it’s hard to, it’s hard to watch that.’
Matthew spent at least $9million (£7.9m) trying to get sober, with his recovery eventually coming following a five-month stint in hospital.
Worried about drugs?
Frank offers confidential advice about drugs and addiction (email frank@talktofrank.com, message 82111 or call 0300 123 6600) or the NHS has information about getting help.
Adfam has local groups for families affected by drugs and alcohol and DrugFam offers phone and email support to people affected by other people’s drug or alcohol misuse.
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