We all know Matthew Perry through his sarcastic and loving character Chandler Bing in the famous American sitcom, Friends. He recently announced that his book titled ‘Friends, Lovers and The Big Terrible Thing’ was coming out on November 1st, 2022. In the book he opens up about his dark past including his addiction problems, relationships and friendships. Many did not know about his traumatic past until he decided to talk about it in his book. Let’s take a look into the interesting life story of Matthew Perry.
Matthew Langford Perry was born on August 19, 1969 in Williamstown, Massachusetts. He spent his early childhood in Ottawa, Canada. When he was 15, he moved to Los Angeles to start his acting career. He pursued comedy at the LA Connection while studying in high school. In his early career, he played many small roles in small TV shows such as Second Chance, Boys Will Be Boys and A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon. At first he was not considered for an audition for the show initially named Six of One, now known as Friends, but then managed to land a role as Chandler Bing. The show was so successful that he became a worldwide celebrity and along with his co-stars, he started earning one million dollars per episode. He was nominated for an Emmy award in 2002 for the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. He also appeared in a number of films such as Fools Rush In, Three to Tango and The Whole Nine Yards.He started his director career in the American comedy-drama Scrubs. He surely had a very successful acting career and is known by most people around the world today. But even though it seems like his life was perfect, he recently opened up about his struggles with drug use and alcohol addiction, which he talks about in his new book.
When he was 14, he started drinking Budweiser and Andres Baby Duck wine, and soon when he got older he started drinking Vodka, Vicodin, Xanax and OxyContin. According to the interview he did with the New York Times, he had eight doctors going at the same time. He would fake injuries and headaches just to get the painkiller he was addicted to at the time: Vicodin. He estimated that he spent more than 9 million dollars in treatments trying to get sober. By the time he was 49, he realized that he had spent half of his life in treatment. His addictions have caused him to have pneumonia, stomach surgeries, nine months with a colostomy bag, and even two weeks in a coma. After his stay in the Los Angeles hospital, he said that he started noting his life story on his phone. When he realized that it was getting longer and longer, he kept going. He worked on it for two hours a day, every day. He said that the idea of helping other addicts and sufferers kept him going. He wrote that his co-stars in the show ‘Friends’ also addressed their support and kept him company throughout his tough journey. He wrote about his friendships, relationships and shared intimate details in his book. In an interview with the New York Times he said: ‘’Alcohol really did save me for a while, then it didn't. It’s like your best friend turns to you and goes, ‘Now I am going to kill you’. And then you raise your hand and say, ‘I need help here.’’’ He was admired by the publishers of the book for how raw and sincere he was. His childhood friends and people around him were proud that he managed to come out of this horrible cycle that handicapped him for such a long time. Matthew Perry, is now not only a famous actor and celebrity but also an inspirational writer.
Work Cited:
The One Where Matthew Perry Writes an Addiction Memoir, The New York Times.
Accessed: 29 October, 2022.
Matthew Perry, Wikipedia.
Accessed: 30 October, 2022.
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