In the 2004 interview with Diane Sawyer, Jennifer Aniston needed a tissue as she talked about Matthew Perry and his struggles with addiction. It sounds like they had known some of what he was going through, but they didn’t know what to do: “We weren’t equipped to deal with it,” Aniston said, “Nobody had ever dealt with that. […] The idea of even losing him…” Though it could have been just an editing cut in the interview and she finished the thought, it seems as though Aniston couldn’t even finish the thought of what it would be like to lose Perry.
Perry found out that the rest of the cast knew at least some of his ongoing struggle with addiction when he was on set; he didn’t drink when he was at work, though he did work hungover. He explained in his 2022 memoir “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,” that Aniston was the one who came to his dressing room and told him that they knew he’d been drinking because they could smell it. The joint statement Aniston and the rest of the “Friends” cast released in the wake of Perry’s death showed just how much they cared for him: “We were more than just cast mates. We are a family.”
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Post source: The List
