“There is so much to say,” Matthew Perry’s five Friends co-stars wrote in a joint statement two days after his death in 2023. Before saying more, however, they needed time to mourn.
Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer eventually shared heartfelt tributes online. Yet, nearly three years later, Perry’s death still appears too painful for them to revisit at length.
That is particularly evident in a new documentary series, The One About Matthew Perry, released around the anniversary of the actor’s death from the “acute effects” of ketamine. None of the five surviving Friends stars appears on camera.
Netflix had reportedly hoped to feature at least some of the former castmates. Instead, all five declined.
A source close to Aniston told Our News Outlet that the actress “doesn’t see any reason to share her times and thoughts about him publicly any longer.”
“It’s too painful.”
Perry was found dead in his hot tub at 54 in October 2023. The primary cause of death was determined to be the “acute effects” of ketamine.
A source close to Aniston said: “She doesn’t see any reason to share her times and thoughts about him publicly any longer.”
According to the source, the decision was not made collectively by the cast, although Aniston, 57, did discuss the documentary with Cox, 62.
“She and Courteney talked it over and decided against taking part,” the source said. “They both felt there comes a time when you stop discussing Matthew publicly. They would rather hold on to their personal memories than sit down for interviews.”
An insider familiar with Cox’s thinking said the cast’s absence was intended to protect Perry’s legacy, not distance themselves from him.
“They want people to remember Matthew as the loving, funny and talented person he was, rather than focusing only on the circumstances of his death,” the insider said. “They all loved him. There is little to gain from revisiting his darkest moments when they would prefer to celebrate his life.”
Another television insider, however, described the five actors’ absence as “shocking.”
“You might have expected at least two of them to give some of their time to honor Matthew,” the TV insider said. “They worked together for 10 years.”
Those 10 years on Friends, which aired from 1994 to 2004, transformed all six leads into international stars. Perry’s performance as Chandler Bing earned him an Emmy nomination in 2002.
As their profiles grew, the cast also became known for standing together in contract negotiations. Their efforts ultimately secured matching salaries of $1 million per episode.
For Perry, the arrangement represented more than a lucrative deal. In his memoir, he said the united front helped the actors “take care of each other” during difficult negotiations with the network.
“[Jennifer] and Courteney discussed it and decided against taking part. They both felt there comes a time when you stop discussing Matthew,” the source said. The pair are pictured together in 2018.
Courteney Cox played Monica Geller, Matthew Perry played Chandler Bing, Jennifer Aniston played Rachel Green, David Schwimmer played Ross Geller, Matt LeBlanc played Joey Tribbiani and Lisa Kudrow played Phoebe Buffay in the hit sitcom Friends.
“They all loved him. There is little to gain from revisiting his darkest moments when they would prefer to celebrate his life,” the insider said.
Given the strength of that bond, Netflix executives expected Perry’s former castmates to be among the first people to join the documentary, according to an insider close to the streaming company.
Instead, each of the five turned down the opportunity.
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The decision left Netflix executives reconsidering the future of the three-part series, which examines Perry’s career, his addiction and the millions of dollars he said he spent pursuing sobriety.
“Netflix executives assumed the cast would agree to interviews, but when they approached them, every response was essentially a firm ‘thanks, but no thanks,’” the insider claimed.
“They even considered abandoning the project because the cast was at the top of their wish list. In the end, they decided to make one final attempt.”
The producers eventually found a new direction through Perry’s half-sister, Mia Perry Bowick, whose involvement brought a deeply personal perspective to the project.
“They contacted Matthew’s half-sister Mia. She had never spoken about him in an on-camera interview, but she agreed to participate. That was when the documentary began to take shape,” the insider said.
For Bowick, the subject is deeply personal—not only because she lost her brother.
The cast reunited for an HBO special in 2021.
For more than a decade, she worked as a psychotherapist and drama therapist in substance-use treatment. Perry’s death later led her to shift her professional focus.
“After losing my brother to the disease in 2023, I took a break from my practice and shifted my work toward a larger audience through speaking, writing and facilitating workshops, groups and rituals,” her LinkedIn biography states.
Once Bowick joined the project, the documentary’s list of contributors began to grow.
“They then received commitments from Matthew’s close friends, several co-stars and senior industry executives,” the Netflix insider added. “They concluded they could make a compelling series without the remaining Friends cast.”
Perry’s longtime friends David Pressman and Roger Castillo are among those reflecting on his life and career.
Billy Gallo, who co-starred with Perry in the 1987 Fox sitcom Boys Will Be Boys, also contributes to the documentary.
Former NBC president Warren Littlefield and writer Jeff Strauss offer behind-the-scenes insight into Friends, including Perry’s audition and the creation of Chandler Bing.
The series also includes new firsthand accounts of Perry’s addiction and his long pursuit of recovery.
The insider added: “They contacted Matthew’s half-sister Mia. She had never spoken about him in an on-camera interview, but she agreed to participate. That was when the documentary began to take shape.” Perry is pictured with his sister Mia Perry Bowick.
Without the five actors who helped make Perry famous, the project stands in sharp contrast to the 2021 HBO Max special Friends: The Reunion, which brought all six stars together on screen.
The following year, while promoting his memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, Perry spoke warmly about the support he received from his castmates during his struggles with substance abuse.
“They were understanding and patient,” he said. “It’s like penguins. In nature, when one is sick or badly injured, the others surround it, support it and walk around with it until it can stand on its own. That is essentially what the cast did for me.”
Although the actors appear to be remembering Perry privately and on their own terms, the Cox insider said a future public tribute has not been ruled out.
“Could they come together to honor him at an event such as the Emmys? Absolutely.”
Our News Outlet has contacted representatives for Aniston, Cox, Kudrow, LeBlanc, Schwimmer and Netflix for comment.
