James Burrows, director of Friendsshares some details about the sudden death of Matthew Perry and how the event affected the rest of the cast.
Perry, who played Chandler Bing on the famous NBC comedy, died on Saturday, October 28 at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 54. The cause of his death is not yet known; However, he would have already ruled out an overdose with methamphetamines or fentanyl.
Burrows (82), who directed 15 episodes over 10 seasons, attended the show Todayon Thursday, to talk about the actor’s death:
“I only had a couple of days to digest what happened. He was part of a family and the first to stop being one.”
According to the director, as soon as he found out, he contacted the three protagonists by text message: Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow.
“I wrote to the girls the day we found out,” he said. “They were destroyed. “A brother passed away.”
The cast of Friends reunited to record a television special in 2021.
(HBO)
In a joint statement they issued previously, the group of actresses and actors, including Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer, said the following:
“We are absolutely devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just co-stars. We are Family. There is a lot to say, but now let’s take a moment to grieve and process this immense loss. Over time, we will talk more as we can. Now, we want to send our condolences and our love to Matty’s family, his friends and all the people who loved him around the world.”
Burrows also praised Perry’s performance and called him the “king of sarcasm,” while drawing parallels between the actor and his character:
“He was very funny and also a little restless. Chandler was restless and Matthew was too. A perfect amalgam.”
Translation of Noelia Hubert
