Matthew Langford Perry was a Canadian-American actor and writer, who impacted millions of people through his characters. He passed away on October 28th, 2023, leaving quite a void in his fans hearts. In order to keep all of Matthew Perry´s brilliance and fun alive, we can always remember and rewatch all his roles.
The eternal Chandler Bing
Matthew was best known for his role as Chandler Bing on the hit sitcom Friends (1994-2004), becoming one of the most beloved characters in television history.
Chandler’s humor is one of his most defining characteristics. Extremely sensitive and kind, he masters the sarcastic one-liner and the witty comeback. His jokes are often self-deprecating, but they are also hilarious and relatable. Just like Matthew, Chandler uses humor to cope with his own insecurities.
He is always there for his friends, trying to make them laugh when things get hard. And even though the first seasons show us a Chandler who is afraid of committing and scared of love; we can really see, through time, the character development and how Bing took effort in order to build a heart-warming and loyal relationship with the character Monica Geller (Courtney Cox).
Chandler Bing still resonates with fans, even after 30 years. He is someone who we can all relate to and learn from, teaching us that it’s okay to be vulnerable and it’s important to laugh at ourselves. He also makes us remember that the most important thing in life is to have good friends who love and support you unconditionally.
Different roles, same essence
However, after Friends was over and time had passed, Matthew Perry did some incredible jobs for television, even though the actor was, at the moment, struggling with addictions and mental health.
Always working on a mix of romance and entertainment with a little bit of drama, Perry marked his career away with movies like Three to Tango; Birds of America; Serving Sara and 17 Again, the iconic teenage-style movie starring Zac Efron.
It becomes evident through his career retrospective that the artist never let go of his remarkable talent of choosing fun and interesting characters to portray. The way that Matthew Perry brought his own essence and joy to his work could make you feel almost like you knew him. Each movie and series was different, but his acting style remained the way his fans would love every single thing Perry brought to the table.
“With all my roles, I just keep playing myself.”
Matthew Perry – Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing. 2022.
Took the bad and wrote it out
As it was said earlier, Perry struggled with substance abuse for a number of years. He began drinking when he was only fourteen years old and later became addicted to opioid pain medications. His addictions led to numerous other health issues, including a coma that lasted for two weeks in 2018.
It was in 2022 that Matthew decided to take the leap and start to tell his story, with the purpose of helping himself and other people who struggled with the same battles. He published a memoir called Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.
With Matty’s unique way of telling deep things with a sense of humor, the book follows the actor’s journey fighting addiction while working on sitcoms. The book received positive reviews and was a New York Times bestseller, it was a way for Matthew to tell people that he wanted to be known for who he really is and for constantly helping others, and not from any TV show that he had appeared on.
“I would like to be remembered as somebody who lived well, loved well, and was a seeker.”
That’s Matthew´s sayings in almost every interview he did after writing his memoir. He loved his time on television, especially the good memories made on Friends, but his greatest wish was to be remembered as someone who not only made his way out of tough times but also helped others to do so.
Matthew Perry´s Legacy
Matthew Perry unfortunately passed away at a very young age, but we can absolutely say from all his statements and the fan´s love, that he accomplished his purpose and built a legacy. We can confirm this by all the times we watch Friends and get more comfortable with being a little awkward sometimes, but also with the sense of knowing that the person playing our favorite character was even more thoughtful, kind and could definitely take a smile out of our faces.
All we can do is remember him the way he wanted to be remembered. And when the loss feels a little too much, there are always ways to watch Matthew be simply himself while also acting.
Matthew Perry, could you be more eternal?
—————————————————————–
The article above was edited by Maria Esther Cortez.
Like this type of content? Check out Her Campus Casper Libero for more.