Michael J. Fox has recalled some unsung generosity bestowed on him by the late Friends star Matthew Perry.
At a benefit for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research on Saturday, Michael remembered his hockey buddy and fellow Canadian as a giving dude who didn’t advertise it.
When the salaries of Matthew Perry and his Friends castmates were bumped to formidable levels later in the series, the Emmy nominee quietly donated a chunk to Michael’s foundation, the Back To The Future star told Entertainment Tonight.
“I hope this isn’t indiscreet, but when they first made their big sale and were made millionaires for the rest of their lives, he wrote a big fat check to the foundation,” Michael said.
“We were really early on and trying to find our feet, and it was such a vote of confidence.”
“And it wasn’t accompanied by any self-aggrandising or anything,” the actor added. “He was just like, ‘Take it and do your best.’ I loved that.”
Michael’s foundation was founded in 2000, two years after he announced he had already been diagnosed with Parkinson’s several years earlier. It has now raised more than $1 billion (around £817 million).
Another celebrity, John Stamos of Full House fame, recently recalled another sweet gesture by Matthew Perry, who died last month at age 54.
When John guest-starred on Friends in the early 2000s, he claimed that Matthew exhorted the studio audience to cheer for him, when he initially received a somewhat tepid response on the set.