Lisa Kudrow Reflects on Rewatching Friends and Celebrating Matthew Perry’s Hilarious Performance, Wants to Cherish His Memory
Lisa Kudrow watches Friends to honor Mathew Perry!
The sitcom is a pop culture phenomenon that’s etched into the hearts of millions of fans worldwide. Kudrow, who played the endearing yet peculiar Phoebe Buffay, avoided catching herself on screen. But it’s ok when she “makes it about Mathew!”
Lisa Kudrow watches reruns of Friends for Mathew Perry
Unlike billions of people, the actress intentionally never caught up with the show as she didn’t want to risk not liking her work. However, in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter to promote her upcoming Apple TV+ show Time Bandits, Kudrow revealed that she started revisiting the beloved sitcom for her fellow ‘friend’ Perry, who played the sarcastic and legendary Chandler Bing.
“Honestly, I wasn’t able to watch it because it’s too embarrassing to watch yourself. But if I make it about Matthew, then that’s OK,” she told THR. “And it’s just celebrating how hilarious he was — and that is what I want to remember [about him].”
Perry passed away on October 28, 2023, at age 54, sending shockwaves all over the world. As per biopsy reports, his tragic demise was attributed to the acute effects of the anesthetic ketamine. A criminal investigation into his passing is ongoing.
Kudrow shares her thoughts on watching the show back two decades later
One thing that’s consistent whenever The Comeback actress rewatches Friends is laughter! She admitted to being “blown away” by her co-stars Courtney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, and “obviously” Perry for his unmatched comedic timing. “No one ever knew that cadence or comedic rhythm before him,” she added.
“Sometimes I even laugh at what I’ve done,” Kudrow says with a self-deprecating laugh,” she said with a self-deprecating laugh. Although she finds watching her show “embarrassing,” she does that to celebrate Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing author’s legacy in her “own little way.”
One of the funniest scenes with Perry and Kudrow was on the episode The One Where Everybody Finds Out, where Phoebe attempts to seduce Chandler into telling the truth about his dating Monica.
Kudrow revealed that Joey opening Phoebe’s shirt was, in fact, LeBlanc’s idea. “It’s like, ‘We’ve got to come up with something to up the stakes.’ And I think it was him that went, ‘What if he just [imitates unbuttoning a shirt with one hand] … and the shirt flies open?’” and they went with it, and it worked!