George Clooney has reflected on his own relationship with Matthew Perry, following the Friends star’s death earlier in the year.
Both actors had their breakthrough moments around the same time in the mid-90s, with George appearing as Dr Doug Ross in ER and Matthew playing Chandler Bing in Friends.
During a new interview with Deadline, George – who played another medical role in a memorable two-part episode of Friends’ first season – recalled how the two shows were “side by side” on the Warner Bros. soundstage, and as a result, the two casts became close.
“That was a fun time to watch those guys,” George said. “We were all really close.”
As it turns out, George knew Matthew long before Friends came along, as he told the US outlet: “I knew Matt when he was 16 years old. We used to play paddle tennis together.
“He’s about 10 years younger than me. And he was a great, funny, funny, funny kid. He was a kid and all he would say to us [...] was, ‘I just want to get on a sitcom, man. I just want to get on a regular sitcom and I would be the happiest man on earth’. And he got on probably one of the best ever.”
George noted, however, that Matthew reaching this goal “didn’t bring him joy or happiness or peace”.
“It was hard to watch because we didn’t know what was going through him,” the Gravity star continued. “We just knew that he wasn’t happy and I had no idea he was doing what, 12 Vicodin a day and all the stuff he talked about [in his memoir], all that heartbreaking stuff.
“And it also just tells you that success and money and all those things, it doesn’t just automatically bring you happiness. You have to be happy with yourself and your life.”
Throughout his career, Matthew spoke openly about his struggles with addiction and his mental health, which were key themes in his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers And The Big Terrible Thing.
Since his death in October, his Friends co-stars have all shared tributes to the late actor, with his family having also set up a charitable foundation in his honour, helping people affected by substance abuse issues.