The Bright Spot Matthew Perry Always Remembered From His Darkest Time On Friends
We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.
Matthew Perry delighted millions upon millions of people playing the sarcastic chatterbox Chandler Bing on all 10 seasons of "Friends." Every group of friends needs a wise-ass, and most wise-asses wish that they had the delivery that Perry did. Of course, very few of them actually do. While the show for so many people was a reliable source of good times, the same was not true for the actor himself.
Before his recent untimely passing, Perry had been very open about his drug and alcohol addiction issues in interviews, the "Friends: The Reunion" special, and in his recent memoir "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing." Addiction for anyone is terrible thing, but fame and success in the industry has a way of exacerbating those issues to an even greater degree. At the height of the popularity of "Friends," while performing his signature role, he was in the throws of some pretty dark days of his addiction problems, which never really stopped throughout his life.
In those miserable times, you look for any silver linings you can, those moments where you can briefly be lifted up and see the happiness in the world your addiction wants you to forget exists. For Matthew Perry, one of those moments came towards the end of the show's third season, when Perry's addiction was at a particular low point. He received a bit of a boost from some animal visitors who came to set, just as anyone would, whether they are struggling with substance abuse or not.
Fine feathered friends
Episode 21 of Season 3 of "Friends" is entitled "The One with a Chick and a Duck." As the title would imply, the episode involves roommates Chandler and Joey (Matt LeBlanc) adopting a chick and a duck. It's a very well-worn comedic premise to make two fairly self-centered characters take care of a cute, innocent creature. Plus, you're taking some rather unusual pets and placing them in a New York City apartment. It basically writes itself.
Visually, you can tell Matthew Perry isn't in the greatest place, particularly from his rail-thin figure. In the book "Friends ... 'til the End: The One with All Ten Years" by David Wild, Perry says of that time, "That was a low point for me, a high point for my addiction ... But still the show went on — with me and sometimes despite me." But during production of this particular episode, he couldn't help but be taken in by the animals on set and, especially, the trainers who took care of them. Perry recalled:
"These two women who had to just constantly clean up duck s***. I always felt somehow a lot of empathy for them. I guess that's just show business."
It's good to be able to take a step back and observe what's going on around you. He's making this comedy show with a duck and a chick, and it's someone's job to clean up their excrement. You have to find the humor in that and acknowledge how different your life could be. Of course, this wasn't some lightning bolt moment that turned him away from substances forever. That's not how addiction works at all. But when anyone is going through a horrible time, you always hope for them to have a moment to smile. And Matthew Perry was able to have that at least.