One of the executive producers of Friends has shared one of his favourite Chandler Bing moments as he remembered the actor who brought the beloved character to life.
In an interview with CNN on Monday, Kevin Bright paid tribute to Matthew Perry, who was found dead over the weekend at his home in Los Angeles, California at the age of 54.
CNN aired a moment that still brings a smile to Bright’s face, from the sixth season of the sitcom, which wrapped its 10-season run in 2004.
In the episode, part two of The One With The Proposal, the usually-sarcastic Chandler gives a tearful, heartfelt speech to his girlfriend Monica Geller (played by Courteney Cox) during a candlelit proposal she set up.
“We were rooting for Monica and Chandler all along, I think that was the thing about their relationship,” Bright said.
“I remember when we were in London, we did the London wedding, and we revealed the relationship for the first time. Matthew and Courteney came out from under those covers. It was just like gangbusters for minutes in that place. The applause would not stop.”
Bright had known Matthew Perry since the actor started on Friends at 24 years old, along with tight-knit cast members Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc and Lisa Kudrow.
“I think for Matthew, with all of his troubles over the years, I think this cast really supported him in a way that allowed him to be the comic genius that he was,” Bright said.
Matthew was outspoken about his decades-long struggles with addiction, which he spoke candidly about during the 2021 Friends reunion special and in his 2022 memoir Friends, Lovers And The Big Terrible Thing.
He dedicated his book and his own platform, time and resources to other people battling addiction.
“He was on a mission to help people, and that’s what he was focussed on,” Bright said, recalling the last time he spoke with Perry a few months ago.
Matthew’s Friends co-stars released a joint statement about the “unfathomable loss” on Monday.
“We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew,” the group said. “We were more than just cast mates. We are a family.”
Watch the interview (and the scene in question) below: