Inside Matthew Perry’s major realisation over ‘Friends’ cast

Matthew Perry was filming an early episode of Friends when he realised for the first time that the main six meshed together really well.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly in a 2004 interview, just as the hit sitcom was nearing its finale, the late Friends star reminisced about filming the episode, The One With the Black Out.

In the early season 1 episode, Perry’s character Chandler was stuck in an ATM vestibule with model Jill Goodacre while New York City experienced a major blackout.

“The interesting thing about that episode was I didn’t speak much; it was mostly in voiceover. We prerecorded what I said, and I had to react,” Perry made the shocking revelation as his character was usually the one who couldn’t stop talking.

However, sharing the screen with Goodacre certainly made things easier.

“Let’s face it: Jill Goodacre is hot, so it wasn’t that difficult. I [remember] spitting my gum out, and it stuck to the wall. It was my choice to just stay frozen in fear and embarrassment.”

But for the Whole Nine Yards actor, the highlight of the night was watching Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox, David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow, and Matt LeBlanc carry the episode.

“What was great about that night was that I was also able to watch the other three quarters of the show, which was these five great actors doing ensemble work that was amazing,” Perry recalled.

“This was the first time I realized, ‘Gee, this is really clicking,’” he noted.

Perry’s observation proved to be correct, as the show earned him an Emmy nod and became an indelible part of his acting legacy.