The One About Matthew Perry, a new Netflix documentary about the late Friends star, premieres globally on October 27, offering an unflinching look at his life and addiction struggles.
Matthew Perry, best known as Chandler Bing on the beloved sitcom, died three years ago at age 54. The series features his sister, Mia Perry Bowick, as a captivating and unflinching interviewee who balances tribute with honesty about his battles.
A Sister's Tribute and Pain
Mia explains her decision to take part, saying: "As his sister, he shaped who I am today, the person I strive to be, and the work to which I've devoted my life. Matthew had a beautiful heart and a generous spirit, and even in his darkest moments, he could still make you laugh and feel loved. I hope this series gives everyone who loved him, whether personally or from afar, a deeper appreciation for who he truly was, and the legacy he leaves behind."
She recalls the good times, including when Matthew first landed the Friends job and when she was cuddled on set by his cast mates like Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox as a young girl. He bought her a Corvette car when she was 15 and regularly treated friends and girlfriends to expensive gifts.
Struggles Behind the Fame
Despite his success, Perry often felt alone, possibly thinking back to being put on planes as a child flying between his mum in Canada and his dad in Los Angeles after they separated. In an archive interview he says: "The beliefs that I had were I was too needy, I wasn't enough, and I didn't matter. And my whole life was about trying to have those three things not be true."
Mia elaborates: "He would talk about that feeling of kind of a sense of emptiness or loneliness that he couldn't quite fill." She also highlights that he spent $7 million on rehab to try to get clean and stay sober.
A Challenging Watch
Mia describes visiting him in rehab in 2001 and running to hide in a cupboard in tears until her brother came to get her. "This was my big brother, my idolised big brother. He was the most special person on the planet. Just seeing him suffering, I was really scared for him."
In 2018, she rushed to hospital to his aid just six weeks after giving birth. He came out of a coma and was released after three months, but the hopes that this would be rock bottom only lasted a few years. At one stage Mia says tearfully: "I know that a lot of parts of him did not think it was possible for him to live a sober life."
The series does not sugarcoat what happened, and this decision should be applauded. It is a million miles away from many other celebrity documentaries that gloss over difficult moments. Director Mary Robertson and Mia have done Matthew proud with this documentary.
