MUMBAI: It’s been a few days since reports of Matthew Perry‘s death broke out, and we have been devastated ever since. While we still mourn for one of the most loved Hollywood actors, did you know that he was on the verge of losing the chance to become Chandler Bing from Friends?
Apparently, he was under another contract for which he couldn’t audition for the role, but here’s how everything worked out in the end like ‘magic’! Apart from Perry, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Courteney Cox, and David Schwimmer were also a part of the show.
Even though Matthew will forever be remembered as Chandler, he was also a part of other successful projects, including 17 Again, Fools Rush In, Three To Tango, and more.
His demise left a huge void, and while a lot of people have been remembering the late actor, a former Warner Bros Executive talked about how he got his part in Friends in a recent conversation.
Talking about how Matthew Perry caught the former Warner Bros executive David Janollari’s eyes with his guest appearance on a show and how he ended up becoming Chandler Bing in Friends, he said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, “I remember going to a run-through of a CBS pilot that was struggling. I was standing next to Barbara Miller, our head of casting, during this run-through, and there was one bright spot in the show, a guest star who would not be a series regular: Matthew Perry.”
David further added, “He literally stole the show. At the time, we were also casting another pilot for NBC, and we couldn’t find the best friend co-star. I turned to Barbara and said, ‘What about Matthew for that pilot?’ Then we turned our attention back to the run-through, and like that a-ha moment in a movie that you really don’t believe happens in real life, we both turned to each other with eyes wide open and said at the same time, ‘Chandler!'”
However, Matthew Perry would have almost lost his chance to become Chandler in Friends as he couldn’t audition for the part because of his earlier commitment to Fox.
Recalling the insight and how everything worked out like ‘magic,’ David Janollari said, “I immediately called a friend at Fox who candidly said that it would probably be a safe bet to hire him in second position. We called him in immediately to read for Chandler, and the rest is history.”
Well, thank God, it worked out. We cannot imagine anyone else other than Matthew Perry as our Chandler Bing. However, Perry had taken his last breath at his LA home, in his hot tub on October 28.
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