Matthew Perry will be remembered for a number of reasons. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re looking at roles, behind-the-scenes stories, and real-life actions that made Matthew Perry feel like a friend to us all.
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00:00 because I was on Friends, more people will listen to me.
00:04 So I've got to take advantage of that.
00:06 I've got to help as many people as I can.
00:08 - Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:10 And today, we're looking at roles, behind-the-scenes stories,
00:13 and real-life actions that made Matthew Perry feel
00:16 like a friend to us all.
00:17 [LAUGHTER]
00:19 - That's funny.
00:22 Why is that funny?
00:24 - Number 10, co-starring with his father on Scrubs.
00:28 - I bought you a present.
00:30 - Oh, my god, a journal.
00:33 - Well, you seem like the kind of sensitive young buck
00:35 that likes to chronicle his feelings.
00:37 - A singer-turned-actor, John Bennett Perry
00:39 appeared in several movies and TV shows,
00:41 occasionally crossing paths with his son.
00:44 He fittingly played Matthew's dad in Fool's Rush In
00:47 and Joshua's father on Friends.
00:49 - I like her.
00:50 She seems smart.
00:52 - Most notably, Matthew directed his father
00:54 in an episode of Scrubs, My Unicorn.
00:56 - Excuse me, are you Murray Marks?
00:58 - I'm busy.
00:59 - You don't look busy.
01:00 - He also starred as Murray Marks,
01:02 a cynical air traffic control operator
01:04 who's reluctant to give a kidney to his adoptive father,
01:07 played by his biological father.
01:09 - Murray?
01:10 - Before you say anything, I just want you to know,
01:12 if you need a kidney, you can have mine.
01:16 - See?
01:17 - For $70,000.
01:19 - J.D. takes a special interest, having recently lost his dad,
01:23 who was played by John Ritter.
01:24 - He named me Murray.
01:26 - That's an old man's name.
01:27 - Oh, come on.
01:28 No, it isn't.
01:28 - Murray!
01:32 - What?
01:34 - This connection is especially poignant,
01:35 considering that Perry and Ritter both passed away suddenly
01:38 at age 54.
01:39 In typical Scrubs fashion, the episode
01:42 balances humor and heart, with Murray
01:44 coming to understand the meaning of family.
01:46 - You know I love you, right?
01:50 - Yeah, I know you do.
01:55 - I love you too, Dad.
01:56 - Number nine, the one where he hosted SNL.
01:59 - This is kind of a dream come true for me
02:01 to be hosting the show.
02:03 It's a really amazing thing.
02:05 There's nothing quite like the process here.
02:07 - On the heels of three other Friends cast members,
02:09 Perry hosted Saturday Night Live in 1997.
02:12 The sketch comedy took full advantage
02:14 of Perry's expertise in sarcasm, having him teach a course on it.
02:19 - Good sarcasm is hard to distinguish
02:20 from normal speech.
02:21 - Could you be more of a teacher's pet?
02:24 - Tom, I heard that.
02:26 Good one.
02:28 - SNL also provided Perry with an opportunity
02:31 to showcase several impressions, including Michael Keaton
02:34 on Celebrity Jeopardy, Woody Allen, and even Matt LeBlanc.
02:38 - Hey, uh, yo, you guys want to go shoot
02:41 some pool or something?
02:42 - Joey, shut up.
02:45 - In the episode's most meta sketch,
02:47 Perry impersonated Joey while Colin Quinn
02:49 adopted the Chandler role.
02:50 - Hey, hold on a sec.
02:52 There, uh, Chandler, you're kind of, uh,
02:56 out of character today, not your usual smart-alecky self.
02:59 Is something wrong?
03:01 - Why, heavens no, dear boy.
03:03 I'm Chandler Bing.
03:04 - Breaking the fourth wall, Perry isn't
03:06 pleased with Quinn's portrayal, leading to him doing
03:08 an impression of Quinn's impression.
03:10 - Ooh-hoo-hoo-hoo, Chandler's home.
03:14 Joey, be a dear and fetch me my shawl.
03:16 I'm rather chilly.
03:17 [LAUGHTER]
03:19 - Perry only hosted once, but Studio 8H
03:22 wouldn't forget about him.
03:24 The day Perry passed, SNL honored the actor
03:26 with his headshot and a moment of silence.
03:28 - Like the guy from Friends coming and saying, hey, yeah,
03:30 I do impressions, and these are the people
03:32 who do them the best.
03:33 Yeah, that was a little scary.
03:35 But, you know, what the hell, you give it a shot.
03:37 - Number eight, the alternate reality
03:39 where he did AliEx 2194 instead of Friends.
03:43 Friends provided Perry's big break,
03:45 but in another universe, he would
03:46 have starred in another sitcom with a much shorter lifespan.
03:49 - When Matthew reads that dialogue, it sparkles.
03:54 And it comes alive.
03:56 And for the first time through the casting process,
03:59 we knew there was a character there
04:01 and that this was the only guy to play it.
04:03 - Willing to take just about any gig,
04:05 Perry was cast as a baggage handler at LAX.
04:08 The twist?
04:09 It was set in the year 2194.
04:12 As bad timing would have it, the Friends audition
04:14 came along shortly after Perry committed to LAX 2194.
04:18 - Enjoy Los Angeles.
04:19 - By the way, uh, Griffith Park has the best picnic areas.
04:23 (audience laughing)
04:25 - Thank you.
04:26 You are most insignificant.
04:28 - Once the pilot was shot, though,
04:30 the network quickly determined that LAX 2194 had no future,
04:34 allowing Perry to pursue the Chandler Bing role.
04:37 Thankfully, Perry was cast on Friends
04:39 and LAX 2194 simply became a funny story
04:42 he could recount years later.
04:44 Listening to Perry talk about the pilot,
04:46 we'll always remember what might have been.
04:48 - And then finally somebody at Fox at the time said,
04:51 "We've seen this.
04:53 It's the worst thing we've ever seen in our lives.
04:56 He is available.
04:57 You can hire him."
04:58 - Number seven, his rom-com roles.
05:01 Having become major TV stars,
05:03 it only made sense for Perry and the rest of the Friends cast
05:05 to explore feature films.
05:07 The rom-com Fool's Rush In marked Perry's first leading role.
05:11 - I never did anything like that before.
05:13 Going home with someone I don't know.
05:15 - Okay, you and me, both.
05:17 - No, I mean, it was just one of those great,
05:20 phenomenal,
05:23 spontaneous things.
05:27 - Starring opposite Salma Hayek,
05:28 Perry plays a driven businessman
05:30 whose priorities change after a one-night stand.
05:33 - Just act like we've been dating for a few months,
05:36 and whatever you do, don't tell them
05:37 I picked you up outside a bathroom, okay?
05:39 - I thought I picked you up.
05:42 - Hayek and Perry share a natural chemistry
05:44 in a surprisingly mature romance
05:46 about culture clash and unplanned pregnancy.
05:49 - Who said you can't have the best of both worlds, huh?
05:51 (laughs)
05:56 - This is the most wonderful birthday I've ever had.
05:59 - While Three to Tango and Serving Sarah
06:01 didn't receive the best reviews,
06:03 both benefited from Perry's charming dynamics
06:05 with Nev Campbell and Elizabeth Hurley, respectively.
06:08 2007's Numb may be Perry's most unique rom-com role.
06:12 Playing a man with depersonalization disorder,
06:14 Perry's Hudson must learn to love himself
06:16 while also declaring his feelings
06:18 for a woman played by Lynn Collins.
06:20 - Hudson, it's not about a house or a car or a TV.
06:24 - Okay, how about this, I love you.
06:26 - Number six, teeming with Chris Farley in Almost Heroes.
06:30 - Lewis and Clark this, Lewis and Clark that.
06:32 - Well, we'll see who talks about them
06:34 after we beat them to the Pacific.
06:35 - Underappreciated upon release,
06:37 yet gaining more of a cult following in recent years,
06:40 Almost Heroes stars Perry and Chris Farley
06:42 as two underdog explorers
06:43 hoping to give Lewis and Clark a run for their money.
06:46 - When the history books are written,
06:47 Lewis and Clark will be but a footnote to a footnote.
06:50 And I, sir, will be the notes.
06:53 - The two work off each other wonderfully,
06:57 with Farley as a sloppy yet seasoned outdoorsman
07:00 and Perry as the sophisticated yet inexperienced aristocrat
07:04 taken out of his element.
07:05 They're like the frontier versions of Felix and Oscar,
07:08 which is appropriate since Perry later starred
07:10 in an Odd Couple reboot.
07:12 - You know, I spent a day in school once,
07:13 but the schoolmarm claimed that I just couldn't concentrate.
07:17 - Well, let's prove her wrong, shall we?
07:20 - You know, I've waited years to hear somebody say that.
07:23 - Again.
07:26 - While their comedy styles differed,
07:28 Perry and Farley were facing similar struggles off camera,
07:31 with the latter tragically not living
07:32 to see the film's premiere.
07:34 Looking back at their chemistry,
07:35 we're reminded why both stars are heroes of comedy.
07:39 - And this is for your own damn good.
07:41 (gunshot)
07:42 (gasps)
07:45 - How was that for my own damn good?
07:48 - Sorry, the punch was supposed to knock you out.
07:51 - Number five, his dramatic turns.
07:54 While Perry excelled in comedic roles,
07:56 he could be underrated as a dramatic performer.
07:59 His guest spot on Ally McBeal was something
08:01 of a stepping stone to more serious roles.
08:03 - Before you get any further with this guy
08:04 who thus far you're too paralyzed to go any further with,
08:07 I'm here to ask you out.
08:10 - What did you say?
08:11 - A year later, he delivered an Emmy nominated
08:13 guest appearance on the West Wing.
08:15 - The president said you.
08:16 - Yes sir, he did.
08:20 - This set the stage for Perry to re-team
08:21 with Aaron Sorkin on Studio 60 as a lead.
08:24 - You think I have contempt for my government?
08:26 - Yeah.
08:27 - Perry, if I do, it ain't nothing compared
08:29 to the contempt my government has for me.
08:30 - Your government doesn't know who you are.
08:33 - I know.
08:34 - While that dramatic exploration of sketch comedy
08:35 only lasted a season, Perry was praised
08:38 for some of his most charismatic work to date.
08:40 Perry also exemplified his range portraying
08:43 real life figures like teacher Ron Clark and Ted Kennedy.
08:46 Whether playing a fast talking lawyer on The Good Wife
08:49 or a melancholy brother in Birds of America,
08:52 Perry had numerous layers as an actor.
08:54 - You know how ridiculous that is?
08:56 A cop would hold onto that gun for two years.
08:58 - I was just asking a question.
08:58 - No you're not.
09:00 Let's not play innocent Mrs. Floric,
09:01 you're trying to turn this into something.
09:03 - Number four, teaching us a painful life lesson
09:06 on growing pains.
09:07 - Hi.
09:08 - Good afternoon Miss Pembroke.
09:09 - I'm Mr. Pembroke.
09:11 - Nice to meet you, I'm Ed Staley.
09:12 - Before Friends, Perry popped up on sitcoms
09:14 like Charles in Charge and Silver Spoons.
09:17 He was also a regular on the short-lived Second Chance.
09:20 - We don't need an apartment, we own this house.
09:22 - Not for long.
09:23 - That title foreshadowed Perry's guest spot
09:25 on Growing Pains.
09:26 Appearing in three episodes,
09:28 Perry played Sandy, Carol's boyfriend.
09:30 Sandy's arc culminates in a drunk driving accident
09:33 that leaves him with a new lease on life.
09:35 - You got a second chance now,
09:37 and you're never gonna do anything like that again, right?
09:41 - Although Sandy is seemingly given a second chance,
09:44 Carol later learns that he died in the hospital.
09:47 - Carol, Sandy just died.
09:48 - Oh my God.
09:54 - Where some very special episodes wrap up life lessons
09:57 in a tidy bow, Sandy's sudden exit serves as a harsh
10:00 yet honest reminder about how fleeting life can be.
10:03 - Mama, this has to be some mistake.
10:07 - I mean, Sandy's gonna be fine, he told me.
10:09 - Perry helped get this message across
10:11 in an episode that would hit close to home
10:13 in unforeseeable ways.
10:15 Number three, making a bet with Bruce Willis
10:18 on The Whole Nine Yards.
10:19 Many consider The Whole Nine Yards
10:21 to be Perry's best movie,
10:22 thanks to his hilarious rapport with Bruce Willis.
10:25 - You all right?
10:26 - Yes.
10:27 - You sure?
10:28 Because you look like you got some gas.
10:30 - Well, I had a hamburger for lunch.
10:35 - Both actors were brilliantly cast,
10:37 with Perry as a neurotic dentist
10:39 who gets roped into a crime plot
10:40 involving Willis' Jimmy the Tulip.
10:42 - A loan shark takes out a sizable loan
10:44 against our company, which I had no idea about,
10:47 and then proceeds to hit Vegas, Atlantic City, Reno,
10:50 loses all the money and sticks you with the bill.
10:52 - Making their team up even better,
10:54 the film led to Willis accepting a guest gig on Friends.
10:57 Willis wasn't sure how the dark comedy would turn out.
11:00 - By the way, I'd be happy to do your wife for you.
11:02 - Do my wife?
11:03 - Tapper. - Tapper?
11:04 - Whacker. - Whacker.
11:05 - Oh.
11:06 - Perry was more confident,
11:07 betting Willis that if the film became a hit,
11:09 he had to appear on Friends.
11:11 Reigning number one at the box office for three weekends
11:14 and ultimately grossing over $100 million,
11:17 Perry won that bet.
11:19 Of course, we wouldn't say that Willis lost
11:21 since his guest spot as Paul Stevens won him an Emmy.
11:24 - I'm in!
11:25 I'm gonna go!
11:27 I'm in!
11:31 Does this slide?
11:33 - Number two, his dedication to helping others.
11:36 For all the laughs that Perry gave us,
11:38 he had substance use disorder for much of his life.
11:40 - I swear to God, I think if I'd never taken it,
11:43 none of the next three decades
11:45 would have gone the way they did.
11:46 - His 1997 jet ski accident
11:48 commenced in a specially dark period.
11:50 Perry's road to sobriety was full of surgeries,
11:53 stays at rehab, and setbacks.
11:55 - Your disease is just outside,
11:57 just doing one-arm pushups, just waiting,
11:59 just waiting for you, waiting to get you alone.
12:02 Because alone, you lose.
12:04 - Realizing how important it was to ask for help,
12:07 Perry extended a hand to others in need.
12:10 Sharing his experiences through interviews and his memoir,
12:13 Perry painted a personal portrait of substance use disorder.
12:16 He aided others by reaching out to fellow AA members
12:19 and converting his Malibu home into a sober living facility,
12:22 which he sold in 2015.
12:24 - He was so caring and giving and wise,
12:28 and he totally helped me get sober.
12:32 - Barely a year before his passing,
12:34 Perry affirmed his commitment to helping others,
12:36 declaring that it's what he wanted to be remembered for.
12:39 - My life has gone to such low degrees with addiction
12:42 that the lower the scale I go,
12:45 the more helpful I can be to other people
12:47 who have gone so low.
12:48 - Before we unveil our top pick,
12:50 here are a few honorable mentions.
12:52 Playing a grown-up Zac Efron in "Seventeen" again.
12:55 A slam dunk combo, even if we don't see the resemblance.
12:59 - Seems to me you guys are living in the past.
13:01 - Well, of course I wanna live in the past.
13:05 It was better there.
13:07 - I'll bet you wish you had it to do all over again.
13:12 - You got that right.
13:15 - When he got a "Fallout New Vegas" role,
13:17 Perry was cast as Benny
13:18 after gifting Ellen DeGeneres "Fallout 3" and an Xbox 360.
13:22 - I'm not affiliated with this game at all.
13:24 I just love it, but I signed it,
13:26 so it looks like I created it.
13:26 - What's it about? What is it?
13:28 - It's a post-apocalyptic world.
13:30 - I see.
13:30 - Returning to TV in "Mr. Sunshine."
13:33 Sometimes even a one-season sitcom
13:35 can provide a ray of light.
13:37 - Jessie, I am so sorry.
13:39 My boss threw some last-minute stuff at me.
13:40 Just give me one more hour,
13:41 and I promise I will make this a night
13:43 you will always remember.
13:44 - Playing a historic character in "The Odd Couple."
13:46 Following in the footsteps of Walter Matthau
13:48 and Jack Klugman as Oscar Madison.
13:50 - I just thought with Oscar's high cholesterol.
13:52 - How do you know my cholesterol is high?
13:54 - Based on those pills in your medicine cabinet.
13:55 - You went into my medicine cabinet?
13:58 - How else would I put down shelf paper?
14:00 (audience laughing)
14:01 - Exploring grief in "Go On,"
14:03 a short-lived show about loss that deserves a reevaluation.
14:06 - Sometimes life doesn't go your way,
14:08 but you don't give up, you go on.
14:11 And when you're down, you don't surrender, you--
14:14 - Go on!
14:15 Go on!
14:16 Go on!
14:17 Go on!
14:18 Let's do this!
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14:37 Number one, always being there for us as Chandler Bang.
14:41 - Yeah, I just, you know, wanted to call and say hey.
14:44 - Well, okay then.
14:47 Was that the oven timer?
14:50 - Perry sadly couldn't remember shooting
14:52 nearly three seasons of "Friends,"
14:54 but we'll never forget Chandler.
14:56 Not just for the one-liners
14:57 that sounded so natural coming from Perry.
14:59 - That's right, I love her!
15:01 - Of the six "Friends,"
15:02 Chandler perhaps went through the most significant evolution,
15:05 going from awkward wisecracker who fears commitment
15:08 to dedicated family man.
15:10 Although Perry didn't make a practice of rewatching "Friends,"
15:13 he did participate in the reunion.
15:15 - If one of us bumped into each other, that was it.
15:18 That was the end of the night.
15:19 You just sat with the person all night long.
15:23 - Even years later, there was a clear love among the cast,
15:26 which extended to viewers at home.
15:28 Like Monica, Joey, Ross, Phoebe, and Rachel,
15:31 Chandler was always there for us.
15:33 - It's certainly the way it works with all of us.
15:36 It's just the way it is.
15:38 Yeah, I'm gonna cry now.
15:42 (laughing)
15:44 - Good.
15:45 - Perry and his iconic character will stay with us
15:47 every time we bathe with a boat,
15:48 eat cheesecake off a floor,
15:50 or get stuck in an ATM vestibule with Jill Goodacre.
15:53 - You know, on second thought, gum would be perfection.
15:56 (laughing)
15:57 - What are your fondest memories of Matthew Perry?
16:00 Feel free to share in the comments below.
16:02 - I missed you guys.
16:04 I missed all of you.
16:05 (cheering)
16:06 Very nice.
16:07 - It's nice, isn't it? - Yeah.
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