Matthew Perry’s untimely passing broke the heart of the internet, being one of the most beloved parts of the iconic sitcom, Friends. Chandler Bing was one of the core reasons why fans loved the series so much, bringing light to the lives of fans who held his character close to their hearts. Losing someone as loved and respected as Perry left a void that cannot be filled. Many people who had been a part of the actor’s life spoke up about what type of person he was.
One such person is Tom Selleck, who spoke about working with Perry on Friends, having played the role of Richard Burke. On top of mentioning that he has asked for the actor’s help when guest-starring in the series, he also revealed that he thought Perry to be the most talented actor in its cast.
Tom Selleck Thinks Matthew Perry Was The Most Talented Actor On Friends
Matthew Perry was perhaps, one of the most beloved parts of Friends. This is an agreed-upon fact by the cast and fans alike. Tom Selleck spoke on exactly this during his recent interview with Variety. He stated that the late actor possessed a level of energy on set that made all the cast and crew react to him in an extremely positive way. While some would credit this to him being charismatic, Selleck says otherwise.
“[Perry] walked onto the set, and that brought the house down,” Selleck added. “He was raw talent. Matthew’s gone, so it’s easy to say this, but it’s true. I think he was the most talented of a very talented group of people.”
The actor stated that the reason for this was because Perry possessed raw talent, something he doesn’t fear to say now that the actor has passed away. Selleck added that he believed that in a cast full of some of the most talented people to ever be in the film industry, Perry was the most talented.
Tom Selleck Seeks the Help Of Matthew Perry While Working On Friends
Tom Selleck then went on to explain why he thinks Matthew Perry is the most talented of the bunch, using an example. He specifically talked of his appearance in the second season of Friends; an episode where his character was supposed to act like Chandler Bing. The role reversal could not have been easy as Bing is known for being uniquely iconic in every way.
“We had this role reversal thing going, where [Richard] tried to be like them, and them like me,” Selleck said,“Matthew had this speech pattern that I hadn’t been aware of,” Selleck added, “Matt told me: ‘It’s a joke, Tom. It’s the way he says it.’ But during that whole show, I kept going up to him asking, ‘Can you say it again?’ and he’d do the line. That was his signature.”
There was one specific line that the actor was finding difficult to imitate, which was a signature for the late star; when Richard was playing football and said, “Could that shot be any prettier?”. Seeking his guidance on this, Perry would show Selleck how to say this line over and over while filming this episode. Talking about just how kind the actor was through all this, Sellck could not help but only speak good of him.