Jennifer Aniston shut down suggestions that “Friends” should have a remake or sequel project because Matthew Perry can’t be in it. “It would be literally, physically impossible” without the late Matthew Perry, she said.
Speaking with Harper’s Bazaar in an interview published Wednesday, the actress lamented that her co-star, who died of a ketamine overdose and drowning in October 2023, battled such extensive “demons.”
“It’s heartbreaking that he had so many demons,” the actress said. “For someone who had that much inner turmoil, he sure got to laugh a lot, and that was everything to him.”
Aniston was heartened, though, that “Friends” continues to be so beloved today, explaining that she’s heard people say they watch the iconic show “to help their mental health” through difficult times.
“If they’re stressed about the news or the world, they’ll just sit down and watch a ‘Friends’ episode,” Aniston said. “And that’s the ultimate compliment.”
On Oct. 28, 2023, Perry, who starred as Chandler Bing in the long-running NBC sitcom, was found dead in his hot tub in Los Angeles. His cause of death was ruled a ketamine overdose with drowning as a factor. He was 54.
Perry’s sudden death was a personal blow to all of his former co-stars, and Aniston said in the same Harper’s Bazaar interview that her “Friends” colleagues Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow, in particular, continue to be dear friends and emotional supports today.
“I know that if I needed anything, I’d go direct to the chain we have together and they’d be there for me in two seconds flat,” she said. “It was like we married each other – they’re my family. Sometimes you love to hate your family, but it’s a lifetime commitment, for sure.”
Of her time on the sitcom, which ran from 1994–2004 for 10 seasons, Aniston said that the experience “completely formed who I was.”
“It was pure joy,” she said. “I looked forward to it every day. I couldn’t wait to get to work. I couldn’t wait to see those people. I couldn’t wait to read the scripts – we’d shoot the show every Friday night, and right after we wrapped, we’d find the new script for Monday morning in our dressing-room. I was just as excited to find out what was going to happen as I’m sure the audience was.”
