Matthew Perry was left 'devastated' as Jennifer Aniston confronted him on 'Friends' set over his drinking
Matthew Perry, who played Chandler Bing, claimed in his memoir that he 'certainly worked hungover' throughout the filming of 'Friends'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Matthew Perry once said it felt "devastating" when Jennifer Aniston "confronted" him about his drinking while they were co-starring on 'Friends'.
The actor, who died last month at the age of 54, had recently been transparent about his history of substance problems.
Matthew Perry opened up about alcoholism and addiction
In his memoir 'Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing', published last year, Perry talked openly about his past struggles with alcoholism and opiate addiction.
In the autobiography, he recounted that during his 'Friends' stint from 1994 until 2004, he frequently battled addiction. The Chandler Bing actor claimed that he "certainly worked hungover" throughout the filming of the acclaimed series, as reported by Mirror.
Matthew Perry asked Jennifer Aniston out on a date
Matthew added that Jennifer, his now-54-year-old costar who supposedly turned down his request to go on a date once, visited his caravan to talk about his drinking. It "wasn't good news" from her, he said.
He claimed she acknowledged that he was a drinker. She had been seeing Brad Pitt, Matthew said, and he had "long since gotten over her." The actor claimed to have figured out "how long" he could stare at her without coming across as "awkward."
'We can smell it'
Perry went on, "But still, to be confronted by Jennifer Aniston was devastating."
He said he was "confused" and added he wondered how she knew as he "never" worked while drunk and had been "trying to hide" the problem.
In the memoir, he went on, "'We can smell it,' she added in a way that was both odd and loving. "We' in the plural struck me like a sledgehammer." Matthew remembered telling his co-star that, although he knew he was "drinking too much" at the moment, he didn't know "how to handle it."
After multiple apparent stays in rehab and sessions with Alcoholics Anonymous, Matthew is reported to have been dedicated to maintaining his sobriety in recent years. He once said that in order to assist others, he wished to talk about his background.
Aniston once said Matthew's coworkers "weren't equipped" to handle his addiction. In an interview with Diane Sawyer from 2004, she talked candidly about him. Since Matthew's untimely death, the interview has come to light again.
When asked what Perry didn't know about himself, Jennifer responded, "That he's alright." Diane stated in a voiceover that Matthew had battled addiction, and Jennifer could be seen crying as she talked about helping her old coworker.
Her words were, "He struggled." She talked about not knowing how to help him and remarked, "We didn't know. We, you know, we weren't equipped [...] to deal with it. As you may imagine, we were ill-prepared to handle it."
She continued, "You know, nobody had ever dealt with that." Jennifer looked sad as she started talking about the "idea of even losing him."
