Friends star Lisa Kudrow is rewatching show to honour Matthew Perry
"It’s just celebrating how hilarious he was – and that is what I want to remember."
Lisa Kudrow has revealed that she has been rewatching Friends to remember Matthew Perry, following her co-star's tragic death last year.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Kudrow revealed that while in the past she could not bring herself to watch reruns of the show, she was now doing so partly to keep the memory of Perry alive.
"Honestly, I wasn't able to watch it because it's too embarrassing to watch yourself," she said. "But if I make it about Matthew, then that's OK.
"And it's just celebrating how hilarious he was – and that is what I want to remember [about him]."
Kudrow added that watching the show now has given her a new appreciation for the comedic talents of all her fellow cast members and said that she often found herself "laughing out loud" during episodes.
"I'm blown away by Courteney Cox. I'm blown away by Jen. Matthew, obviously, is just uniquely hilarious. No one ever knew that cadence or comedic rhythm before him. Matt LeBlanc is hilarious. And David Schwimmer, too. Sometimes I even laugh at what I've done," she said.
Speaking about her memories of working with Perry on the show, she continued: "You're just laughing all day long, basically, in between the scenes, because these are funny people.
"And especially someone like Matthew, whose goal was, 'How many laughs can I get in real life every day?' So we were always laughing so hard, tears were flying out of our faces."
Earlier this month, Jennifer Aniston was seen getting visibly emotional while discussing Friends during an interview with Abbott Elementary's Quinta Brunson as part of Variety's Actors on Actors series.
Asked what it feels like to watch the series now, she explained: "I'm sorry, I just started thinking about..." before clarifying: "I'm OK. It's happy tears."
Read more:
- Matthew Perry's stepfather opens up on his death: 'It's not fair he didn't get a third act'
- BAFTA TV Awards pays touching tribute to Matthew Perry
Friends is now streaming on Netflix.
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Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
