In the two months since Matthew Perry's death, his friends and former co-stars have slowly found the words to express their grief. On December 18, Minnie Driver shared her memories in a wonderful tribute article in The Guardian . Reminiscing about their time on the 2003 play "Chicago" and their subsequent friendship, she reflected on his "soul legacy" and the impact "Friends" had on him and how he connected with his beloved character Chandler. Bin for comparison.
summer away from friends
During Perry's break before the final season of Friends , she starred alongside Driver in the London production. She recalled that the two had met before at a Hollywood event, but they really connected after she invited him to lunch with her family before theater rehearsals began. They would eat ice cream together in Hyde Park, watch Wimbledon tennis matches, and she even took him to a friend's wedding.
“He’s the most self-deprecating guy and very nice,” Driver said. “He would help anyone who asked him for help.”
She explained that he "loves exploring the world outside of Friends ," noting that he was somewhat dissatisfied with his role on the hit sitcom. "Part of Matthew's internal struggle is that he identifies so much with a character that he also loves deeply - a character that he's very good at," she said. "But it also limits him to a specific place, so it feels like a tug-of-war."
Driver said he was in "a good place" on the show and it was hard for her to read his 2022 memoir Friends, Lovers and Big Scary Events and understand "how much he suffered." Despite his pain, "he was like a light," she added, even more so than Chandler Bing.
"Everything we love about Chandler is in Matthew, but that's just the tip of the iceberg," she said.
Condolences from friends
Driver's tribute was just one of many tributes paid to Perry by fans, co-stars and friends since his death on October 28. Several "Friends " cast members and guest stars reacted shortly after his death was first reported, but his co-stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David ·Hulmer and Matt LeBlanc were initially postponed. They released a joint statement on October 30 via People magazine , saying they were "completely shocked" and would "take some time to grieve and process this immeasurable loss."
Later, on November 14, Cox and LeBlanc broke their silence, and Aniston, Schwimmer and Kudrow followed in the following days. "You have heart," Schwimmer wrote in his section. "You were generous and shared with us so we could be a family of six strangers."
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