Mary Robertson, the director of the upcoming three-part Netflix documentary The One About Matthew Perry, has revealed that the late actor’s Friends castmates declined to participate in the series.
Perry died in 2023 at the age of 54. His cause of death has been attributed to the acute effects of ketamine combined with drowning.
He was best known for his work on the wildly successful sitcom Friends, in which he starred alongside Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox and Matt LeBlanc.
None of those five appear in Robertson’s documentary, and the filmmaker says she understands that they are “grieving” their friend.
Speaking to The New York Times, Robertson said: “We know the Friends cast loves Matthew and is grieving Matthew. We did approach them about participation. They decided not to participate.”
She went on to say that she did speak to other people involved in the creation of the show, adding: “I’m really honored by the contributions and stories that were shared by others who worked with Matthew on Friends: We have Warren Littlefield, one of the men who contributed to greenlighting Friends, and he tells the story of being in the room when Matthew auditioned for Chandler. He describes this instant confidence in Matthew and that sense of assurance, which is a magical thing.”
The One About Matthew Perry, set to arrive October 27 on Netflix, also features significant contributions from the actor’s younger sister Mia Perry Bowick.
In the series, Bowick reveals that Perry was just as excited about his character Chandler falling in love with Cox’s Monica as his fans were.
“A lot of the show was really about Rachel and Ross, I think sometimes Matthew just didn’t feel quite as spotlit in the ensemble and when Matty got to come in with Courteney and have that together, he was really excited about it,” said Bowick, adding that the plot line also granted Perry the opportunity to flex his skills as an actor beyond the comedic routines he was known and loved for.
“He was not just silly Chandler anymore. It opened up a lot of new avenues with his acting in terms of being tender and romantic and vulnerable,” she said. “I think we all really knew how much Matthew wanted that too.”
After Perry’s death, five people were charged in connection to the incident including Jasveen Sangha, the so-called “Ketamine Queen” who has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.
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