Bloopers That Make Us Love Matthew Perry Even More
Fans of the late Matthew Perry remember him for his signature sarcasm and self-aware sense of humor, two refreshing traits that are somewhat rare in Hollywood. While his character Chandler Bing on the beloved sitcom "Friends" will go down in history as his most famous role, Perry led a well-rounded career, playing everything from a 19th-century aristocrat in "Almost Heroes" to a White House lawyer in "The West Wing." His distinct personality shone through in these roles, just like it did with Chandler and every other character he played.
Like any performer, Perry experienced his fair share of fumbles and blunders during filming. No one gets it right every time, but Perry always took these mistakes in his stride and made the best of every moment, often using humor to make even his errors enjoyable. As a result, Perry's blooper reels are just as entertaining as the finished product. Whenever you find yourself craving a little more Matthew Perry in your day, check out these bloopers that make us love the actor even more.
Matthew Perry and Matt LeBlanc enjoy an on-screen kiss
Is there a better friendship duo than Chandler and Joey? The two share a bond as strong as a New Yorker's spirit, and it's all thanks to Matthew Perry and Matt LeBlanc's undeniable chemistry and comedic rapport, which only deepened as "Friends" progressed. If you somehow weren't already convinced of their genuine connection after witnessing their countless memorable moments on the show, perhaps watching their off-screen bloopers will give you all the confirmation you need.
As early as Season 1, Perry and LeBlanc were slipping in jokes and friendly banter between takes. Luckily for fans, some of these moments were caught on camera and shared with the world, allowing viewers to get a glimpse of the true personalities behind the characters.
In Season 1's "The One with the Monkey," the six friends celebrate New Year's Eve together, but Chandler is left with no one to kiss when the clock strikes midnight. Being the good friend that he is, Joey rises to the occasion and gives Chandler a New Year's smooch. After the scene ends, the cameras keep rolling, capturing a few seconds of silence between Perry and LeBlanc as they take in the kiss. They then hug it out, congratulating each other on their kissing skills.
Matthew Perry has a wardrobe mishap in Fools Rush In
Over the course of his decade-long tenure on "Friends," Matthew Perry expanded his acting portfolio by taking on roles in numerous movies. Among them is the 1997 romantic comedy "Fools Rush In," where Perry plays the straight-laced love interest of Salma Hayek's character Isabel. It's a rather formulaic but overall wholesome romance with a lot of laughs. However, it didn't exactly leave a lasting impact, which is why it's often overlooked when compared to Perry's success on "Friends."
Whether or not you've seen this hidden gem, we're confident that you'll appreciate this little blooper from the movie as much as we do. In the clip, a pickup truck drives at full speed toward Perry's character, Alex, before getting stuck in the mud. As the driver exits the truck and approaches, Perry turns around to reveal his clothes and face have been splattered with mud. While the camera's still rolling, Perry jokingly calls for wardrobe, prompting laughter from everyone on set.
Matthew Perry cracks innuendo jokes
Matthew Perry delivered plenty of innuendo-laden jokes off the cuff while filming "Friends," and we can't help but love him for it. More often than not, they involved Courteney Cox, who always managed to set Perry up so perfectly. Try to hold in your laughter while you watch the above clip, a scene between a sick Chandler and Monica trying to get through their lines. After Cox breaks character, she makes a comment about how she's channeling her brother's mannerisms for her acting. "I'm doing my brother," she says. Perry is quick to respond with, "That's... gross." The live audience erupts into laughter, and Cox hides her face in embarrassment.
One amusing interaction between Perry and Cox occurred during the following exchange of lines. When Monica says, "It's huge," Perry couldn't resist interjecting with a "thanks." Judging by Cox's grin, it's evident that Perry's quip caught her off guard. In another scene between Monica and Chandler, Monica knocks on the bathroom door with Chandler inside. Perry improvises his line by jokingly exclaiming, "Honey, you gotta see this. This is like the size of my arm." Cox plays along and goes into the bathroom. She comes out waving her arms with a proud Perry behind her, reminding us all why the two of them are so perfect together.
Matthew Perry makes fun of his Friends castmates
One of Matthew Perry's many quirks on the set of "Friends" was his hilarious habit of repeatedly making fun of his castmates' mistakes. If someone flubbed a line during a scene, you could always count on Perry to reenact the funny moment during the next take. One example involves the scene above, in which Courteney Cox approaches Perry to deliver a line but has to stop when she accidentally looks directly into the camera. During the next take, Perry pokes fun at Cox's mistake by purposely looking into the camera during his line delivery.
As one can imagine, Cox often found herself at the center of these light-hearted gags. Another memorable incident occurred when Cox choked on a popcorn kernel during a scene, causing the cast and crew to reset. Naturally, Perry took this opportunity to cough up his own popcorn kernel in a much more dramatic fashion. Jennifer Aniston also became a target during a scene after she mistakenly referred to Joey's show as Chandler's. In the following take, Perry playfully referred to Phoebe as Ross as a way of poking fun at Aniston's mix-up. Without fail, these moments inspired good-natured laughter between the cast, crew, and live audience.
Matthew Perry and Courteney Cox share a laugh on Cougar Town
A whole decade after the conclusion of "Friends," Matthew Perry and Courteney Cox reunited on screen when he made a guest appearance on her sitcom "Cougar Town." In Season 5's "Like a Diamond," Cox's character gets into a car accident with Perry's character. Sam (Perry) finds Jules (Cox) attractive and attempts to pursue her romantically, unaware of the fact that she's a married woman.
This was one of the best TV moments in a long time for "Friends" fans: Monica and Chandler were back together. It was a reunion, and Cox and Perry were fully aware of what this reunion meant for fans. The proof of their acknowledgment lies in the episode outtake where Perry playfully calls Cox "Monica" instead of Jules. Consider it a subtle nod and wink to those fortunate enough to witness this brief but brilliant behind-the-scenes moment.
Matthew Perry and Matt LeBlanc hug it out
In this blooper, Matthew Perry and Matt LeBlanc delight fans with another heartwarming bromance moment that only gets funnier the longer it goes on. For the scene, Perry and LeBlanc share an affectionate hug that lingers a bit longer than expected. LeBlanc casually remarks, "Uncomfortable," drawing a hearty response from the live audience. Their teasing escalates as Perry playfully inquires, "While we're here, anything else?" and places his hand on LeBlanc's shoulder, prompting LeBlanc to retort, "Get off me."
But the laughs don't stop there. In the next take, as the hug is initiated, LeBlanc humorously inquires, "What's that in your pocket?" — probably getting in there with this joke before Perry did. The blooper ends after these two hugs, which is a shame, because we would have gladly watched an entire blooper reel dedicated solely to this scene. Chandler and Joey were always a great double act, and seeing the actors behind the characters bouncing off each other is never not fun.
Matthew Perry and Matt LeBlanc shoot TV promos
In the era when cable television dominated our viewing habits, promotional segments would frequently appear during commercial breaks. Big TV stars from the network's roster would take a moment to remind viewers of the channel they were currently tuned into or provide some information about an upcoming event, like a season finale or a change of time slot. If you've ever wondered how these promos are made, look no further than this behind-the-scenes clip of Matthew Perry and Matt LeBlanc shooting their own series of NBC promos during their time on "Friends."
Based on the repetitive nature of the task, it's safe to assume this is one of the less glamorous aspects of starring in a hit TV show. Still, Perry and LeBlanc find ways to make the most of it by lightening the mood with humor between takes and boosting each other's morale. Together, they chuckle their way through the lengthy shoot, with Perry at one point cracking the crew up with a quintessential Chandler quip: After messing up his line delivery, he states, "I couldn't be a bigger geek!" The silliness only escalates as props are introduced. The fact that Perry and LeBlanc transformed such tedious work into engaging entertainment is a testament to their talent and charisma.
Matthew Perry's New York accent kicks in
Matthew Perry was raised between Los Angeles and Canada, but he had no problem convincing the millions who tuned into "Friends" every week that he was a true New Yorker (even though most of the show occurred on a soundstage in California). In one particular outtake, Perry especially leaned into the region's distinct dialect during his line delivery, whether he was aware of it or not. His scene mate Courteney Cox immediately picked up on it and joined in with her own impression.
In response, Perry dialed it up a notch, adding even more emphasis, highlighting his light-hearted nature when it came to poking fun at himself. Based on the numerous bloopers from "Friends," one clear takeaway about Perry is that he could both dish it out and take it with equal good humor. When you play a character for as long as Perry played Chandler, slip-ups are inevitable, but what sets Perry and the "Friends" cast apart is their ability to transform these mishaps into comedic gold.
Matthew Perry makes the best faces
Chandler and Ross put their strength to the test in the "Friends" Season 8 episode "The One with the Halloween Party." At Monica and Chandler's Halloween party, there's a debate on whether Chandler or Ross would win in a hypothetical fight. When Chandler finds out his wife thinks Ross would beat him, the two partake in an arm wrestling competition to prove who's really stronger. The only problem is that they're equally strong ... or weak? To add to the scene's humor, they're both wearing ridiculous Halloween costumes: Chandler as a fuzzy pink bunny and Ross as "Spudnik," a potato with antennas.
As the stalemate continues, Monica comments that Chandler is making his "sex face" as he struggles to stay in the competition. Little do viewers know, this one-off joke took multiple attempts to nail. In the blooper reel, Matthew Perry's expressions become progressively more awkward with each take, causing the rest of the cast to struggle to contain their laughter. Witness the outtakes for yourself, and you'll see exactly why it's so hilariously infectious.
A baby interrupts Matthew Perry's line delivery
Filming a sitcom in front of a live studio audience introduces an intimate and authentic element to any show, though it does come with its fair share of unpredictability. The cast and crew of "Friends" likely have countless anecdotes about audience reactions not going as planned, but on the "Friends" blooper reel, there's one unforgettable incident that stands out from the rest involving Matthew Perry and a crying baby.
In the outtake, Perry and Courteney Cox are performing a scene at Central Perk in which Chandler is making a phone call. It seems to be going well until Perry pauses a few sentences into his line delivery. At that moment, a crying baby is heard loud and clear in the background. It's obvious they have no other choice but to redo the take, but before the director yells "cut," Perry instinctually takes this moment to make a little quip, telling the imaginary person on the other side of the phone, "Well, you're not taking it very well." Yet again, Perry never misses a chance to show off his quick wit.
Matthew Perry doesn't know he's on camera
When Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer sat down with Entertainment Tonight to promote the "Friends" reunion special in 2021, it led to another hilarious Perry blooper. In the interview, they discussed their experiences of coming back together, and it's clear that there's still a special chemistry between them. The blooper comes when Schwimmer is asked a question. Perry, believing he's out of the camera frame, seizes the opportunity to hush down some off-screen chatter. He waves someone over and silently signals for quiet. Once Schwimmer finishes answering, LeBlanc discreetly informs Perry that the voices he was trying to silence likely belong to the other cast members being interviewed separately. He also lets him know he's still on camera.
They all handle the situation gracefully and share a hearty laugh about it. Schwimmer, in a Perry-like fashion, adds a touch of humor by playfully poking fun at the mistake. "I look like a crazy person," Perry says. The trio takes the joke further by flailing around as LeBlanc attempts to respond to a question. It's heartening to see how they managed to maintain their sense of humor and not take themselves too seriously.
Matthew Perry struggles with his Bamboozled lines
Every now and again, an actor will come across a line that proves challenging to deliver for one reason or another. This was the case for Matthew Perry in the "Friends" Season 8 episode "The One with the Baby Shower." The scene in question features Chandler and Ross helping Joey practice for his audition to host a game show called "Bamboozled." Joey begins by asking the two to introduce themselves. Chandler takes this opportunity to make a joke about Rasputin, but the clunky nature of the gag's structure makes it hard to get through without stumbling over the wording.
In the blooper, Perry messes up his line twice in a row by mixing up the words. The third take immediately starts on the wrong foot when Matt LeBlanc's voice cracks and David Schwimmer can't help but laugh. In the fourth take, Perry nearly nails his line — only for LeBlanc to accidentally cut him off before he can finish. Perry is devastated and dramatically falls to the floor, sending the live audience into fits of laughter.
Shenanigans on the set of 17 Again
Matthew Perry secured a few film roles after his time on "Friends," including the 2009 teen comedy "17 Again," which ended up being the last time he ever starred in a movie. He plays Mike, a 37-year-old man going through an early mid-life crisis. His soon-to-be ex-wife and kids hate him for his bleak outlook on life. Just when it seems like there's no hope for the future, he encounters a magical janitor who transforms him into his 17-year-old self (Zac Efron) to help grant him a new perspective on life.
According to Perry's friend Athenna Crosby, the late "Friends" star was planning on making a movie about his life before his shock passing, and he wanted Efron to play him. This may well come to fruition one day, but until then, viewers can check out the blooper reel for "17 Again," which is filled with amusing outtakes and shenanigans. Fans of Perry will especially enjoy the snippet of him leaping onto his co-star Thomas Lennon's bed in between takes. Knowing that the two will later reunite on screen in their 2015 sitcom "The Odd Couple" makes this little moment caught on camera all the more special.