Matthew Perry’s deeply personal memoir continues to amaze readers, especially his former colleagues.
“Friends” star Maggie Wheeler, who appeared on all 10 seasons of the hit NBC show as Perry’s girlfriend Janice, told Page Six on Saturday that her book “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing” has was “sad”, and his drug detailed. abuse is “hard” to swallow.
“I think he did an amazing job and survived the unthinkable,” Wheeler said. “And I’m so proud of him and I’m so happy that he’s here and I think it’s very brave that he wrote a book and talked about it. It really helps a lot of people.”
Perry’s memoir and subsequent press tour allowed the actor to reveal the extent of his substance abuse problems during his “Friends” heyday. And even after the show, his problems continued, as the actor revealed to People magazine in October that his colon burst four years ago due to severe opioid abuse, sending him into a two-week coma.
“The doctors told my family I had a 2 percent chance of living,” she told Diane Sawyer of the experience.
Perry was hospitalized for months and needed a colostomy bag. However, he said that at the height of his addictions, he used up to 55 Vicodin tablets a day and spent about $9 million to get sober.
Matt Winkelmeyer via Getty Images
However, his work on Friends as the sarcastic Chandler Bing never suffered from his addictions. Wheeler told Page Six that Perry’s contributions to the filming “process” were “100 percent, even when he was struggling.”
“He showed up to work even when he was in his darkest place, he showed up to work with all his humor and brilliance and talent,” Wheeler told the media. “There was never a day on set with him where I felt uncertain about how he was going to participate.”
Perry told Sawyer that he felt “very grateful” when co-star Jennifer Aniston “cached,” but revealed in his memoir that he “didn’t feel anything” when “Friends” ended in 2004.
However, Perry has watched the show fondly ever since. Wheeler told Page Six that it was “incredibly cool” to be involved in a project that “means so much to so many people” and “keeps people calm and happy.”
“I hear so many stories about people watching ‘Friends’ as they go to bed at night,” she added, “so yeah, it’s great to be a part of something that resonates so much not just here, but across the world now. . “
Need help with substance use disorders or mental health issues? In the United States, call 800-662-HELP (4357) for SAMHSA National Helpline.
