Jennifer Aniston ‘cried’ in 2004 interview while talking about Matthew Perry's struggles with addiction

Matthew Perry's Friends co-stars were aware of his addiction issue even while the filming of the show.

Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry were really good friends even after the conclusion of the hit TV serial Friends. In an interview with Diane Sawyer in October 2022, Perry had revealed that out of all his Friends co-stars, Aniston was the one who stayed connected the most. Notably, Perry struggled with addiction to drinking and substance abuse for a long time. His Friends co-stars were aware of his addiction issue even while the filming of the show.

Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry(File Photo)

Interestingly, in a 2004 interview with Diane Sawyer, Aniston had highlighted how much Perry meant for her and what losing him due to his addiction to drinking, would be like.

Opening up on Perry's struggles with addiction, Aniston had tearfully said, “He struggled. We didn’t know. We weren’t equipped to deal with it. Nobody had ever dealt with that. And the idea of even losing him… he’s having a road. But he’s alright.”

In his memoir, "Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing", Perry had talked about his struggles and admissions to rehab to overcome his addiction. The Friends star had been able to overcome the issue in a major way, in recent years.

In a 2022 interview with podcaster Tom Power, Perry had shared that whenever he dies, he won't want to remembered for his Friends role but rather for his efforts to help addiction victims. He said, “When I die, I don’t want ‘Friends’ to be the first thing that’s mentioned. I want that (efforts to help addicts) to be the first thing that’s mentioned. And I’m going to live the rest of my life proving that.”

Meanwhile, Law enforcement authorities revealed that prescription drugs were found at Perry's home after his death, reported TMZ. They emphasised that no illegal drugs were found.

Perry's role in Friends

In the superhit TV series Friends, Perry played the character of Chandler Bing. His co-stars included Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox and Matt LeBlanc. As Chandler Bing, he was famous for his one-liners and sharp humour.