Why Jennifer Aniston and ‘Friends’ co-stars didn't appear in Netflix's Matthew Perry doc
Netflix’s highly anticipated documentary, ‘The One About Matthew Perry,’ recently premiered on the streamer. However, fans won’t see his ‘Friends’ co-stars, including Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer on screen. Mary Robertson, who directed the three-part documentary, explained why the late actor’s famous co-stars declined to appear in the project. During an interview with The New York Times, Robertson shared, “We know the ‘Friends’ cast loves Matthew and is grieving Matthew. We did approach them about participation. They decided not to participate.” However, the actors will still appear throughout the documentary via archival footage.
The director also shared more about the documentary and the people who contributed to it. “I’m really honored by the contributions and stories that were shared by others who worked with Matthew on 'Friends': We have Warren Littlefield, one of the men who contributed to greenlighting 'Friends,' and he tells the story of being in the room when Matthew auditioned for Chandler. He describes this instant confidence in Matthew and that sense of assurance, which is a magical thing.”
The Netflix documentary also features Perry’s younger sister, Mia Perry Bowick, who reveals that Perry was just as excited about his ‘Friends’ character Chandler falling in love with Cox’s Monica, as his fans were. Recalling the late actor’s ‘Friends’ co-stars, she said, “I hadn’t seen them in easily 20 years. [Jennifer] Aniston was the first one of them to come up to me and give me a huge hug. But, they all did,” Bowick said. “And then, all five of them walked up to the casket holding hands and stood around him, crying.”
She also added that during her late brother’s funeral, she felt his presence. “He showed up right behind my right shoulder and goes, ‘How fu**ed up is this?’ And I started laughing so hard. I was like, ‘Oh, my God — there he is!’ Making me laugh at the most horrible moment, and also incredibly inappropriate for me to start laughing.” Fans can now stream ‘The One About Matthew Perry’ on Netflix.
