Remembering Matthew Perry: A Look Back on His Career as 'Friends' Celebrates 30th Anniversary

On October 8, 2012, Daedrian McNaughton interviewed Matthew Perry for Premier Guide Miami about his series Go On. Premier Guide Miami sat down to find out what that means — and what comes next.

As we commemorate the 30th anniversary of Friends, we remember Matthew Perry, whose portrayal of Chandler Bing became iconic. On October 8, 2012, Daedrian McNaughton had the opportunity to interview him for Premier Guide Miami about his series Go On, which aired Tuesday nights at 9 p.m. on NBC.

What drew you to this role? "It was just written really well. I was looking to do a drama and had met with all the networks during the development season. When I was sent this script, I could tell from the number of pages that it was a comedy. I called my manager and asked why he sent it to me — he just said to read it. I realized it had all the elements I was looking for: it was funny and posed a big dramatic challenge. Plus, I knew Scott Silveri from his time on Friends; he wrote a great script, so I was in."

On the so-called 'Friends curse': "Yes, I think that idea of a curse was just reporters searching for a story. We six were some of the luckiest people on the planet. Friends was magical; nothing will ever be like it again. After that, I searched for good projects. I did Studio 60, which everyone thought would be amazing, but it didn't work out. Then I tried creating my own show, Mr. Sunshine, which creatively worked but didn't attract an audience. Eventually, I learned that someone else could create a show for me better than I could."

On drawing from dark experiences for comedy: "Oh sure. You pull from everything. I think, you know, just to be a comedian or somebody who's trying to be funny, you have to have some darkness behind it. So I think all comedians are able to draw on that, and that's why some comedians who do dramatic work can do some of the best dramatic work, like Robin Williams and Michael Keaton and Tom Hanks."

On his involvement with Drug Court: "It's a group of judges across the country that take first-time nonviolent drug offenders and put them into treatment programs instead of just throwing them into jail. I'm really proud to be a part of that whole thing because it's a no-brainer. Everybody agrees that it's a good thing. It's a bipartisan effort, and it just doesn't throw these drug addicts away; it puts them into a treatment facility where they can become valuable members of society."

On his favorite characters: "I loved playing Chandler. That was, you know, I grew up sort of playing that part. And then the character of Ryan King in Go On — it's a very deep, enriching character to play because he's going through so much, and he's also being very funny about it. So I guess I would say Chandler and Ryan King."

On the legacy of Friends: "I just want to thank the fans. Their love and support have exceeded anything we could have ever anticipated. It's astonishing to see how the show continues to resonate with different generations. I hope we can continue to bring laughter and joy, whether through old reruns or new projects."

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