Matthew Perry has detailed his failed attempt to lose his virginity to his ex-girlfriend Tricia Fisher and how alcoholism has affected his sex life in another excerpt from his new memoir.
The 53-year-old actor – who shared candid reminiscences on ‘Friends, Lovers’ and ‘The Big Terrible Thing’ – admitted he suffered from impotence-related anxiety after alcohol rendered him incapacitated when he was a teenager in his Canadian Heimat first tried to have sex.
In a passage obtained by the New York Post, the star said he was left “gentle and sad” after attempting to have sex with Tricia, now 53, whom he dated in the 1980s at the age of 18 years went out.
Oh my god: Matthew Perry has detailed his failed attempts to lose his virginity to his ex-girlfriend Tricia Fisher and how alcoholism has affected his sex life in another excerpt from his new memoir (pictured together in 1987).
The star described how, before leaving Ottawa for LA aged 15, he tried to have sex, drank “six beers” for courage but couldn’t perform, writing: “By then I had one drank for a few years. I failed to make the connection between the alcohol and my non-functioning private parts.’
Perry said he’s spent years “walking the planet thinking sex is for other people” and hiding his “big ugly secret” of impotence.
He began dating Tricia, Carrie Fisher’s half-sister and Eddie Fisher’s daughter, and described the couple’s valiant attempts at having sex — all to no avail.
He wrote: “Nothing worked; Nothing. Horrified again, I left Tricia Fisher’s loving arms and padded my slim, naked body to a chair in the apartment.
Candid again: The actor , 53, who spilled candid memories on Friends, Lovers and The Big Terrible Thing, revealed he was suffering from anxiety caused by impotence after alcohol rendered him incapable when trying to have sex as a teenager to have
“I sat there, soft and sad, both my hands on my lap like a nun’s at Vespers, doing my best to hide my embarrassment and maybe a tear or two.”
Revealing that Tricia helped him overcome his problem, he wrote, “She walked over to me, took my hand, led me back to the bed, laid me down and indeed… pure glory for two full minutes!
“That night, through the power of a wondrous universe and the care of a beautiful young woman who deserved better, I lost my virginity for good and then lost it altogether, and impotence hasn’t been part of my vocabulary ever since, as she promised.” has would not. Everything about me – at least physically – works perfectly.”
The couple dated for several years before Perry dumped Tricia because his “old fears resurfaced.”
Perry has spoken openly about his battle with addiction to alcohol and pills that nearly killed him.
At worst, due to his addiction, he drank a quarter bottle of vodka a day and took 55 Vicodin, methadone, and Xanax.
Perry has been kissing and dating all over his new memoir, with the star also revealing he was having a “long make-out session” with Valerie Bertinelli when her husband Eddie Van Halen passed out.
Bertinelli and Perry worked together on the TV show Sydney, which first aired in 1990.
Valerie’s marriage to Van Halen lasted from 1981 to 2007.
Embarrassed: Perry kissed and talked all over his new memoir, with the star also revealing he was having a “long make-out session” with Valerie Bertinelli when her husband Eddie Van Halen passed out
Perry writes in his memoir that his activity as Valerie’s brother on Sydney intensified because he “fell in love with Valerie Bertinelli, who was clearly in a troubled marriage.”
He adds: “My crush was overwhelming; Not only was she way out of my league, but she was married to one of the most famous rock stars in the world, Eddie Van Halen.”
Perry describes how intense his infatuation with the actress was, which led him to plan a future together.
“It’s important to note here that my feelings for Valerie were genuine. I was totally riveted — I mean, I became obsessed with her and harbored fantasies about her leaving Eddie Van Halen and spending the rest of her days with me,” he writes.
Things eventually escalated when he was invited to Bertinelli and Van Halen’s home, where he “just hung around staring at Valerie and trying to make her laugh.”
“When you made her laugh, you felt ten feet tall,” he enthuses.
But “Eddie had enjoyed the fruit of the vine a little too much and finally he just passed out not ten feet from us,” says Perry, adding, “That was my chance!
His idol: Perry and Bertinelli on the set of Sydney 1990
“If you think I didn’t stand a chance in hell, you’re wrong, dear reader – Valerie and I had a long, elaborate snogging session. It happened – maybe she felt the same way I did.”
He claims Bertinelli even seemed to return his affection.
“I told her I thought about doing this for a long time, and she said it straight to me,” says Perry.
But when he confessed to his costar Craig Bierko about the night with Bertinelli, Bierko was more cautious than optimistic, telling him to take care of himself.
Bertinelli didn’t mention what happened and – as she should have – acted like this was just a normal day.
On a permanent break: Matthew revealed he had a huge crush on co-star Jennifer Aniston both before and during her stint on Friends – but was dismissed by her ‘lack of interest’ (pictured in 1995)
“I quickly took the cue and played the role I was meant to play, but inside I was devastated,” says Perry.
Bertinelli’s professionalism reportedly resulted in sleepless, tearful nights for the future Friends star, and he saw Sydney’s failure as an escape from the obsession as he “didn’t need to see Valerie anymore.”
The actor offers a Freudian explanation for his attraction to Bertinelli and other women who could not love him.
“I’ve spent my life being attracted to unavailable women. You don’t need a psychology degree to find out that it had something to do with my relationship with my mother,” he writes.
Outing: Matthew was spotted back on the promo trail for his memoir when he arrived at SiriusXM in NYC on Tuesday
Pal: The star posed with Andy Cohen in the studio
Promo trail: The star looked dressed and boots as she headed to the Stephen Colbert show in NYC
For the fans: The actor was surrounded by fans on his way out