Selma Blair opens up about Matthew Perry fan tributes: ‘It’s good to grieve’

Actor guest-starred in one season nine episode of ‘Friends’ and has spoken of her love for the late Perry

Selma Blair has shared her comfort at the public outpouring of love for Matthew Perry since his sudden death last month.

Blair was a close contact of the Friends star, and initially said that the news of his passing had “broken” her.

Nearly two weeks after Perry’s death, the Cruel Intentions actor gave some additional insight into her feelings and expressed her satisfaction in watching fans from all over the world share warm memories of Perry.

“I love it,” she told the US publication Extra at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards on Tuesday (7 November).

“I know Matthew really, really loved touching people and his comedy was therapy. That show [Friends], it was beloved because we could get into shows like that on primetime and create a family – so many people could create a family with these characters.”

Blair starred in one season nine episode of the hit NBC sitcom called “The One with Christmas in Tulsa”, playing Chandler’s flirtatious colleague Wendy during his short-lived stint in Oklahoma.

“I love that it affects everyone and that it’s good to grieve,” Blair continued. “We realise how precious things are when we have the dark seasons. And so I gladly hold this dark season for Matthew, who meant so much to me.”

Selma Blair and Matthew Perry (Getty)

Blair was one of the first high-profile figures to pay public tribute to Perry after he was found dead at his home on Saturday 28 October.

Alongside a selfie of them together in more recent years, the actor wrote about Perry in an Instagram post.

“My oldest boy friend,” she wrote. “All of us loved Matthew Perry, and I did especially. Every day. I loved him unconditionally. And he me. And I’m broken. Broken hearted. Sweet dreams Matty. Sweet dreams.”

Perry was laid to rest on 3 November, five days after his death. All five of his Friends castmates – Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt Le Blanc and David Schwimmer – attended his burial, as well as Perry’s immediate family members.

In a joint statement issued on Monday 30 October, Perry’s Friends castmates spoke for the first time about their grief. “We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew,” they wrote.

“We were more than just cast mates. 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.”

Last year, Aniston, who played spoilt but sweet Rachel Green in all 236 episodes of the show, was named by Perry as the castmate who reached out to him the most during his long struggle with sobriety.

“She was the one that reached out the most. You know, I’m really grateful to her for that,” Perry told ABC News’s Diane Sawyer in an October 2022 interview.