George Clooney Claims Matthew Perry Wasn’t Happy Despite ‘Friends’ Fame

Matthew Perry continues to make headlines as new revelations surrounding his death keep coming to light. Perry, who was best known for playing the role of Chandler Bing in Friends, passed away on October 28 at his Los Angeles home after drowning in a jacuzzi. Initial autopsy reports ruled out drugs and foul play, but recent toxicology has disclosed that his demise resulted from the acute effects of ketamine, which was present in high volume throughout his body.

However, in light of the recent updates, George Clooney, Perry’s longtime friend, spoke up about his friendship with the deceased, shedding light on the late star’s complex life during an interview.

George Clooney says Matthew Perry’s dream was to be a TV star

During an interview with Deadline to discuss his latest film, The Boys in the Boat, Clooney shared that he and Perry had forged a close bond since their early years. “I knew Matt when he was 16 years old,” the 62-year-old told the news outlet. “I used to play paddle tennis with you. He’s about ten years my junior. And he was a fantastic, hilarious, hilarious, hilarious kid.”

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He further stated that the late actor had always had a lifelong aspiration to become a TV star and land a role on a sitcom, as he believed that it would set him on the path to happiness. “That’s all he’d say to us,” Clooney added. “[He’d say], ‘I just want to get on a sitcom, man, I just want to get on a regular sitcom and I’d be the happiest man on the planet.'”

George Clooney shares that Matthew Perry was never truly happy on the set of ‘Friends’

The actor clarified that even though Perry eventually secured a role on the widely acclaimed Friends, he didn’t attain the genuine happiness he longed for. “He wasn’t happy. It didn’t bring him joy or happiness or peace. On the lot we were there right next to each other,” Clooney admitted. “It was hard to watch because we didn’t know what was going through him.”

Clooney also explained that there were things he didn’t know about Perry’s drug dependency. “We just knew that he wasn’t happy, and I had no idea he was doing what, 12 Vicodin a day and all the stuff he talked about, all that heartbreaking stuff,” he confessed. “And it also just tells you that success and money and all those things, it doesn’t just automatically bring you happiness. You have to be happy with yourself and your life.”