When the question is asked about who my favourite character is from the main six in Friends my answer has always been Chandler. No second thought has ever been needed. For me it’s always been an easy conclusion to place him at the top of the pile because, simply, why wouldn’t it be?
I first saw Friends when I hit high school in 1998. The show was almost halfway through its run but I was captivated from the first time I watched, despite not knowing a single ounce of backstory. A lot of the humour must’ve gone over my 11-year-old head but the excitement of being allowed to stay up late to watch Friends on Channel 4 every Friday night quickly took hold, and I looked forward to it until the show came to an end in 2004.
The final season came as I was finishing high school and transitioning to college. Back then it felt kind of fitting that two important things in my life were ending at the same time. I’d laughed through the London trip, cried at Monica’s proposal, still pronounce ‘Eeee’ like Ross, have uttered ‘PIVOT!’ during every house move I’ve been through, and don’t even get me started on the actual tears of laughter shed over ‘pleh’!
I lived each week with these six people who genuinely felt like my own friends, and I rewatched the episodes on videos countless times. Twenty years later it is still my ultimate comfort show. The videos were eventually replaced by a DVD boxset, and that’s now made way for endless replays on Netflix. As I type, I’m currently at the start of season four during yet another rewatch. Twenty years later Chandler is still my number one.
Matthew Perry in the role of Chandler has been revered by many as a perfect match. Multiple accounts on screen and in print reference just how much of himself Perry put into the character, which makes his passing hit even harder. He was Chandler.
The delivery of lines, the quick wit, and the sarcastic humour endeared the character of Chandler to millions of people across multiple generations. But amidst the wisecracks and banter we saw a vulnerability to Chandler; he wanted love, he was thoughtful and kind, he adored those closest to him and would do anything for the ones he loved the most.
But Matthew Perry was also so much more than Chandler, which is what we need to be mindful of now more than ever. Perry’s troubles with addictions over the years have been widely documented, and he candidly spoke about this in his autobiography Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing. Released on November 1st last year I made my way through it in just a couple of days.
An opening introduction of “Hi, my name is Matthew, although you may know me by another name. My friends call me Matty. And I should be dead.” is hard-hitting from the off; it is the beginning of a book that’s a candid and darkly humorous, gut-wrenching and heart-breaking read. A revisit to it now would hit in a completely different way I’m sure, especially with topics being covered so close to my own heart.
But Matthew Perry was also so much more than Chandler, which is what we need to be mindful of now more than ever. Perry’s troubles with addictions over the years have been widely documented, and he candidly spoke about this in his autobiography Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing. Released on November 1st last year I made my way through it in just a couple of days.
An opening introduction of “Hi, my name is Matthew, although you may know me by another name. My friends call me Matty. And I should be dead.” is hard-hitting from the off; it is the beginning of a book that’s a candid and darkly humorous, gut-wrenching and heart-breaking read. A revisit to it now would hit in a completely different way I’m sure, especially with topics being covered so close to my own heart.
Wanting to help people facing the same battles as himself emphasises the selflessness found within Matthew Perry and led to the creation of Perry House, a sober-living facility for men in Malibu. Away from the glaring lights of Hollywood Perry dedicated much of his life to sharing his struggles and helping others.
Stating in a video that’s gone viral since the new of his death he explained: “I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in my life but the best thing about me, bar none, is that if an alcoholic or drug addict comes up to me and says, ‘Will you help me?’ I will always say, ‘Yes, I know how to do that. I will do that for you, even if I can’t always do it for myself.’ So I do that, whenever I can. In groups, or one on one.”
In that same interview, when asked how he’d like to be remembered he said the following: “I would like to be remembered as somebody who lived well, loved well, was a seeker.”
And really that is what I’ll aim to do. Chandler will always be one of my most beloved characters, but I’ll remember Matthew Perry as a selfless soul who, despite the demons that he lived with, did what he could to understand, to offer support, and to always be on hand to help those when they needed a friend the most.
And really that is what I’ll aim to do. Chandler will always be one of my most beloved characters, but I’ll remember Matthew Perry as a selfless soul who, despite the demons that he lived with, did what he could to understand, to offer support, and to always be on hand to help those when they needed a friend the most.
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