Why the “Friends” Cast Declined to Be in New Matthew Perry Docuseries
Why the “Friends” Cast Declined to Be in New Matthew Perry Docuseries
Julia MooreTue, October 27, 2026 at 6:16 PM UTC
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Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Courteney Coz, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow and Matthew Perry in 1994Credit: Reisig & Taylor/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty -
Netflix’s three-part docuseries The One About Matthew Perry premiered on Oct. 27, exploring the late actor’s life, career and struggles with addiction
Perry died at age 54 in October 2023 from the acute effects of ketamine
Director Mary Robertson revealed that Perry’s five Friends costars declined to participate in the docuseries, noting that they are still grieving his death
The cast of Friends did not participate in a new docuseries about the late Matthew Perry.
The One About Matthew Perry premiered on Netflix on Tuesday, Oct. 27, just shy of the third anniversary of his death. The three-part series explores Perry’s rise to fame on Friends, his private struggles with addiction and the investigation that followed his death at age 54 from the acute effects of ketamine.
While Perry’s sister, Mia Perry Bowick, spoke publicly about his death for the first time in the series, several people close to the actor were notably absent, including his Friends costars.
“We did reach out to them, and they declined to participate,” director Mary Robertson told Gold Derby of Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer. “We know the cast of Friends were very close with Matthew in real life, and they are grieving.”
The cast of ‘Friends’ in 1994.Credit: Reisig & Taylor/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
Robertson also told the Los Angeles Times that she recognized early on that many of Perry’s loved ones were still struggling to “make sense of a world that he wasn’t in.”
“I think that many who were close to Matthew were obviously grieving him but also processing and trying to understand and make sense of how they lost him and why they lost him,” she said. “We’re really thrilled that [those who participated] supported this project at a really early stage and understood that it could be tender and unflinching; that it could be a love letter to Matthew.”
Of those who participated, she added, “I really appreciate their trust. I really appreciate their candor. They have taught me so much about loyalty as friends.”
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Although Perry’s Friends costars did not sit down for interviews, the series offers an emotional glimpse into their bond with the late actor through his sister’s recollection of his funeral.
“The funeral was very small, close friends and family only. I remember sitting in the front row with our family and seeing his mom and all the other siblings,” Mia said in the doc. “And then the rest of the Friends cast all walked in together.”
“I hadn’t seen them in easily 20 years. And Jen Aniston was the first one of them to come up to me and give me a huge hug, but they all did,” Mia said. “And then all five of them walked up to the casket holding hands, and just stood around him, crying.”
David Schwimmer and Matthew Perry on the set of HBO’s ‘Friends: The Reunion’Credit: Terence Patrick/HBO Max
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Robertson previously told PEOPLE that Perry’s “raw” 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, inspired her to explore his life in a documentary. Following his death, she “felt this renewed commitment to trying to illuminate the totality of his life and contribution to our culture.”
“I hope we made it funny enough for him,” Robertson said. “I’ve learned through his people that he would want this film to be funny, so I hope we did great by you, Matthew. We really tried.”
The One About Matthew Perry is now streaming on Netflix.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
