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It is never easy to recall past traumatic experiences, and the late Matthew Perry had a first-hand experience of the same when he sat down to write his very candid, honest, and tell-all memoirFriends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.But the hardest part was to re-read it as he revealed in dozens of interviews just a year ago.
TheFRIENDSactor has had a tragic life, from severe drug and alcohol addiction to near-death experiences. So while writing about them was easy, re-reading it was deeply tormenting and often the actor had to disassociate from himself after re-reading his own words.
Also Read:“The night I went into AA, Matthew brought me in”: Matthew Perry Helped Friends Co-Star Go Cold Turkey Before Tragic Death
Matthew Perry Found It Easier To Write His Memoir
Also Read:“I immediately called a friend at Fox”: Matthew Perry Almost Didn’t Become Chandler Bing for His Contract Before WB Exec Pulled a Few Strings
When you have lived a life as wonderful yet as tragic asMatthew Perry‘s, naturally writing a memoir can be a therapeutic experience, for writing is a means to let go of the bad and relive the best. While there were challenging parts, especially when things went really dark, it wasn’t difficult to write but rather difficult to recall moments he had little or almost no recollection of.
In an interview withTom Power at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, the actor sat down last year to reveal the process behind his memoir. He stated,
“Writing the book. Was pretty easy. It was like cleansing. It was like a wonderful experience. I just wrote all these terrible things. I got them down on the page and but reading it was almost impossible. It was like I disassociated a little bit and I looked at this book, which I had to read because I had to do the audio.”
It was the realization and acceptance that he had in fact lived a terrible life that Perry found hardest to accept.
Also Read:“The stakes kept rising”: Matthew Perry Had to Become His FRIENDS Co-Star’s ‘Man Slave’ After Losing a Bet to Keep His Honor
Matthew Perry Couldn’t Believe His Own Life
Living and realizing the life one has led, especially one filled with harrowing yet wonderful experiences, is a different feeling altogether. The realization of one’s traumatic experience is enough to generate a trauma of its own. So when Matthew Perry revisited some of his life’s darkest moments, he couldn’t believe what he had lived through as he stated to Tom Power.
“But I looked at the book and I was just like, This guy has had like the most torturous life. I can’t believe it. And then I realized it was mean that I was talking about. It was so powerfully dark and for so long I didn’t know what was going on. I do now, and that’s why the best thing about me is I can help people if they ask me to. Yeah, I can.”
In a separate interview, he stated that he was grateful for his experiences. And that he was thankful that he could now help people by sharing his experiences (viaThe Hollywood Reporter).
And now as Matthew Perry has gone on for his next adventure, his beloved character Chandler Bings remains, continuing to bring love and laughter into the lives of his many fans.
FRIENDScan be streamed on Netflix.
Maria Sultan
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2703
Maria Sultan is a dedicated News Content Writer at FandomWire. With over five years of professional experience and hundreds of published articles, she brings a wealth of expertise to her coverage of Marvel, K-dramas, and the latest on streaming platforms.Her work is not just about reporting news; it’s about providing insightful perspectives on the entertainment trends that matter most.
