Friends director says lead cast have been ‘destroyed’ by Matthew Perry death

James Burrows directed the first four episodes of ‘Friends’, which first aired in 1994

Friends director James Burrows has shared some insight into how the rest of the main cast members are dealing with the sudden death of Matthew Perry.

Perry, who played Chandler Bing in the phenomenally popular NBC sitcom, died in his Los Angeles home on Saturday (28 October), aged 54. His cause of death is still pending; though, meth or fentanyl overdoses have reportedly been ruled out.

Burrows, 82, who directed 15 episodes of Friends during its 10-season run, appeared on the Today show on Thursday to discuss the actor’s passing.

“I had to have a couple of days to just let it soak in,” Burrows said on the US morning show. “He was part of a family and he was the first one to not be part of that family anymore.”

Burrows said that upon hearing the news, he texted three of the lead cast members – Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow.

“I had texted the girls the day we found out,” Burrows said. “They were destroyed. It’s a brother dying.”

The ‘Friends’ cast reunited for a televised special in 2021 (HBO)

In a previous joint statement, the quintet of actors, also including Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer, said: “We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just castmates. We are a family. There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss. In time we will say more, as and when we are able. For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends and everyone who loved him around the world.”

Burrows went on to praise Perry’s performance as the “king of sarcasm”, Chandler, drawing comparisons between the actor and the character.

“He was really funny,” Burrows said. “He was a little awkward, too. Chandler was awkward. And Matthew was awkward. So it was a perfect, perfect meld.”

“Matthew could always cut to his face. He was always aware that, even though he wasn’t speaking, he was on camera.”

Burrows also recalled taking the six young actors out to dinner in Las Vegas in 1994, just before the first episode of Friends aired. He said to them: “Put your seatbelt on, because this is your last shot at anonymity.”

In a previous interview on Today, Friends co-creator Marta Kauffman admitted she was “concerned” about Perry during the show’s 2021 reunion special.

Perry, LeBlanc, Schwimmer, Aniston, Cox and Kudrow returned to the show’s original soundstage for Friends: The Reunion, in which Perry worried fans with an apparent speech impediment.

He later revealed he had undergone emergency dental surgery at the time, which resulted in him having slurred speech during the reunion.

“Knowing that he’d been through everything he’d been through, and every time he had surgery, they’re giving him opioids for pain, and the cycle starts over again,” Kauffman said. “So yes, I was concerned about what point in the cycle he was in at that moment.”

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