Matthew Perry will most often be remembered for his wit and charm, but there was so much more to him.
The pilot script of “Friends” had a lot of heat at the agencies and young actors both familiar and fresh were vying for the roles.
There was interest and momentum for Craig Bierko to play the role of Chandler Bing, and until Craig said he wasn’t interested, Matthew stayed in the background because he didn’t want to compete with his friend. Who says show business has to be cut throat?
Once we saw and heard Matthew’s audition we knew that our prayers had been answered. The role we had struggled mightily with throughout the casting process was now cast. Or was it? We couldn’t have Matthew in first position because he’d made a sci-fi pilot for Fox called “Lax 2194” about baggage handlers in the future.
The pilot script of “Friends” had a lot of heat at the agencies and young actors both familiar and fresh were vying for the roles.
There was interest and momentum for Craig Bierko to play the role of Chandler Bing, and until Craig said he wasn’t interested, Matthew stayed in the background because he didn’t want to compete with his friend. Who says show business has to be cut throat?
Once we saw and heard Matthew’s audition we knew that our prayers had been answered. The role we had struggled mightily with throughout the casting process was now cast. Or was it? We couldn’t have Matthew in first position because he’d made a sci-fi pilot for Fox called “Lax 2194” about baggage handlers in the future.
- 11/1/2023
- by Warren Littlefield
- Variety Film + TV
The world was rocked this weekend by the passing of actor Matthew Perry, only 54 years old and best known for his role as "Chandler Bing" on "Friends" — the sitcom for which "popular" doesn't begin to describe its reputation. And yet, Perry could have missed out on the part that made him famous and ended up on the wrong side of a Hollywood "what-if" story. The actor recounted the close call in his memoir, "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing," published in 2022 and written in a conversational (and occasionally vulgar) style.
Let's set the scene: It's 1994 and Perry has a part in a sitcom pilot. Not on "Friends," but on "L.A.X. 2194." You've probably never heard of it. It's a workplace comedy about baggage handlers at Los Angeles International Airport ... but set in the year 2194. The leads, draped in futuristic costumes right out of "Star Wars," would be handling the luggage of alien tourists.
Let's set the scene: It's 1994 and Perry has a part in a sitcom pilot. Not on "Friends," but on "L.A.X. 2194." You've probably never heard of it. It's a workplace comedy about baggage handlers at Los Angeles International Airport ... but set in the year 2194. The leads, draped in futuristic costumes right out of "Star Wars," would be handling the luggage of alien tourists.
- 10/29/2023
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
Actor Matthew Perry, who is best known for essaying the role of the sarcastic and wise-cracking Chandler Bing, had almost missed out on getting the gig. Perry, who died at the age of 54, recalled during a 2015 appearance on ‘Late Night With Seth Meyers’ how he almost lost his shot at starring in the sit-com. Perry recalled becoming desperate for work in 1994 after his “terrible” manager told him he had “no money.”
“This happened to be the year that ‘Friends’ was shot, but I was off the market because I had taken a job on a pilot called ‘Lax 2194’ that was about baggage handlers at L.A. Airport in the year 2194,” he explained.
Detailing that one incident, he added: “So I was wearing a futuristic shirt, and little people played the aliens in which I had to sort out the aliens’ luggage and that was basically the show.”
While he...
“This happened to be the year that ‘Friends’ was shot, but I was off the market because I had taken a job on a pilot called ‘Lax 2194’ that was about baggage handlers at L.A. Airport in the year 2194,” he explained.
Detailing that one incident, he added: “So I was wearing a futuristic shirt, and little people played the aliens in which I had to sort out the aliens’ luggage and that was basically the show.”
While he...
- 10/29/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
Actor Matthew Perry, who is best known for essaying the role of the sarcastic and wise-cracking Chandler Bing, had almost missed out on getting the gig. Perry, who died at the age of 54, recalled during a 2015 appearance on ‘Late Night With Seth Meyers’ how he almost lost his shot at starring in the sit-com. Perry recalled becoming desperate for work in 1994 after his “terrible” manager told him he had “no money.”
“This happened to be the year that ‘Friends’ was shot, but I was off the market because I had taken a job on a pilot called ‘Lax 2194’ that was about baggage handlers at L.A. Airport in the year 2194,” he explained.
Detailing that one incident, he added: “So I was wearing a futuristic shirt, and little people played the aliens in which I had to sort out the aliens’ luggage and that was basically the show.”
While he...
“This happened to be the year that ‘Friends’ was shot, but I was off the market because I had taken a job on a pilot called ‘Lax 2194’ that was about baggage handlers at L.A. Airport in the year 2194,” he explained.
Detailing that one incident, he added: “So I was wearing a futuristic shirt, and little people played the aliens in which I had to sort out the aliens’ luggage and that was basically the show.”
While he...
- 10/29/2023
- by Agency News Desk
Matthew Perry, the actor and comedian best known for playing Chandler Bing throughout all 10 seasons of "Friends," has died at 54. The news was first reported by TMZ and later confirmed by the Los Angeles Times. Law enforcement sources told the L.A. Times that he was found unresponsive in a hot tub at his home at 4 p.m. on Saturday, October 28, 2023, and that there was no sign of foul play. TMZ's sources say that the apparent cause of death was drowning, also reporting that there was no indication of foul play and that no drugs were found at the scene.
Born in Plymouth, Massachusetts, Perry landed his first major role as Chazz Russell in the short-lived '80s sitcom "Second Chances." He racked up a number of guest roles in other TV shows and TV movies before landing a contract for a sitcom pilot called "L.A.X. 2194," a sci-fi comedy in...
Born in Plymouth, Massachusetts, Perry landed his first major role as Chazz Russell in the short-lived '80s sitcom "Second Chances." He racked up a number of guest roles in other TV shows and TV movies before landing a contract for a sitcom pilot called "L.A.X. 2194," a sci-fi comedy in...
- 10/29/2023
- by Hannah Shaw-Williams
- Slash Film
Seasons three through six of Friends had some of Chandler Bing’s funniest and most character-defining moments. There he is handcuffed, without pants, to a filing cabinet; remaining in “time out” in a box for nearly a full episode; hooking up with—and later marrying—Monica…We all remember them fondly. The one who doesn’t? Matthew Perry, who says these seasons were a blur due to his problems with substance abuse.
Wtf Happened to…Matthew Perry?
But to truly understand what the fuck happened to Matthew Perry, we go back to the beginning. And the beginning began when he was born on August 19th in Williamstown, Ma, the son of two prominent people: actor John Bennett Perry and mother Suzanne, who later served as press secretary to Canadian Pm Pierre Trudeau.
Perry developed an interest in acting after he served it up on the tennis court as a youth,...
Wtf Happened to…Matthew Perry?
But to truly understand what the fuck happened to Matthew Perry, we go back to the beginning. And the beginning began when he was born on August 19th in Williamstown, Ma, the son of two prominent people: actor John Bennett Perry and mother Suzanne, who later served as press secretary to Canadian Pm Pierre Trudeau.
Perry developed an interest in acting after he served it up on the tennis court as a youth,...
- 7/14/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
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