Friends is nearing its 30th anniversary and the fans of the show have been showing off their excitement on the internet. While it is a huge milestone to cover, the creators of the show, Marta Kauffman, David Crane and Kevin Bright, have spoken up about the death of Matthew Perry, which is a huge loss to deal with amidst the celebratory atmosphere. In conversation with Today, the showrunners revealed how the presence of the actor on sets of Friends created an impact on their lives.
Kauffman stated, “It’s a huge loss. It does make the 30th a little fraught.” She further added, “He made us laugh every day—David always said he was the funniest man in the room.” On the other hand, Bright talked through the struggles of Perry with his addiction, which the actor was very open about during the end of his life.
The creator said, “He had been fighting the good fight for so long. It really did feel like from the reunion that he had found some peace.”
Regarding the other members of the sitcom’s cast, the show is creators said that when all six actors took the stage, their chemistry lit up the room. Kauffman claimed watching the cast members together sent a chill up her spine.
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Meanwhile, the showrunner claimed in her interview with The Times that the best way to pay tribute to the late actor is through donating to the drug prevention organizations. She said, “Donate to drug treatment centers—let’s fight the disease.” Kauffman further added, “The second way is to watch Friends and remember him not as a man who died like that but as a man who was hilariously funny and brought joy to everybody.”
Apart from the creators, the cast members too felt the loss of their friend and co-star. Jennifer Aniston, who played the role of Rachel in the show, shared a hilarious incident involving Perry and Lisa Kudrow from back when they were shooting for the first season.
Aniston revealed to Variety, “It’s so strange to even think that it’s 30 years old, ‘cause I remember the day that it was gonna premiere on television.” The actress further added, “Me and Matthew were getting lunch together, and we knew Lisa was getting her hair colored so we ran into the hair salon, and I snuck up—she was in the sink, hair bowl—and I took the nozzle and just started washing her hair.”
Friends ran on NBC for 10 seasons, which also included Courteney Cox, Matt Le Blanc, and David Schwimmer among the lead cast members. The show turns 30 on September 22.
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