Matthew Perry was 24 years old when he was cast in a new comedy called Friends alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc. The day before filming began, director James Burrows took the six friends on a private plane to dinner in Las Vegas and told them, “Look around. Nobody knows you. You can never do that again. Your life will change.” That’s how it was. Perry, who died at his home in Los Angeles on Saturday at the age of 54, transformed into Chandler Bing and would have been associated with this character and this series for a lifetime. With his special way of delivering phrases and gestures, he gave the ironic Chandler a distinctive charisma that lasted throughout the entire ten seasons of the series. Some of his character’s lines define his personality: “I’m not good at giving advice, can I interest you in a sarcastic comment?” “I’m Chandler, I joke when I feel uncomfortable.” We’ll leave Matthew Perrys Journey through eight iconic Chandler moments on Friends.
More information
Locked in an ATM
In the seventh episode of the first season, Chandler is trapped at an ATM during a power outage in New York. He’s not alone, he’s accompanied by a model who highlights awkward moments that only Chandler could cause. The situation will lead to Matthew Perry displaying his great capacity for physical humor. His partner in prison even saves him from choking on a piece of gum that wasn’t even his.
With Julia Roberts
In his memoirs “Friends, Lovers” and “That’s So Terrible,” Perry recalled the relationship he had with Julia Roberts, whom he met when the actress took part in the series. It was for a Thanksgiving double episode in season two. She played an old classmate. The episode was watched by 53 million viewers and is the most watched of the entire series. Perry and Roberts were together in real life between 1995 and 1996 and it was he who ended the relationship. As she explained in her bio, she felt like it wasn’t enough for her. In “Friends,” Julia Roberts’ character Chandler plays a prank and leaves him in a restaurant bathroom wearing only his panties.
The jellyfish sting
Perhaps one of the most memorable moments from Friends is when Monica is stung by a jellyfish while on a trip to the beach. To relieve the pain this causes, Chandler offers to urinate on his leg, a popular myth but one that made it to Friends. After returning from the trip, Monica, Joey and Chandler dramatically explain to the rest of their friends how they experienced this unpleasant situation.
Transfer to Tulsa to fall asleep at work
In season nine, Chandler falls asleep during a meeting in the office – what did Chandler do? This was another great recurring joke from Friends because no one really knew what he was doing. He’s falling asleep when his boss asks who would like to take over the Tulsa offices, to which he unknowingly agrees. When she tries to patch things up with her boss, she messes things up even more and has no choice but to go to Oklahoma City. As it later emerged, the character’s actual deployment to Tulsa was a pretext so that Perry could take time to recover from his addiction problems, a problem that haunted him for most of the series and was reflected in his physical changes.
Apartment exchange
Joey and Chandler shared an apartment on the same floor as Monica and Rachel. One day, in the fourth season, the friends decide to compete in a sort of trivia about their lives, with Ross as master of ceremonies. Whoever won got the most beautiful apartment, that of the girls. Eventually they win and have to move. The little thing is one of the most memorable moments in the entire series.
It’s impossible to escape Janice
One of the recurring supporting characters in “Friends” was Janice, Chandler’s ex-girlfriend with an irritating tone of voice, played by Maggie Wheeler. In order not to have to break up with her straight away, he tells her that he has to go work in another country. She loves the idea of moving, but then Chandler considers telling her the move is to Yemen. But Janice is determined not to leave his side until the last moment, which will result in Chandler ultimately buying a ticket to this country.
He begins a secret relationship with Monica
The secret love between Monica and Chandler played a big role in the series. So that it wouldn’t shock their friends, they decided to hide it from him for a while. Little by little, Joey, Rachel, Phoebe and Ross finally discovered it. The first to find out was Joey, who caught her one night in the apartment he shares with Chandler, and although the pair tried to hide it in different ways, they eventually connected by the end of the chapter .
Kiss everyone to hide
It wasn’t easy for Chandler and Monica to keep their relationship secret, and in many moments they were on the verge of being caught. We were in the fifth season and at a certain moment Chandler goes to work and says goodbye to Monica with a kiss on the lips. But Rachel and Phoebe, unaware of their relationship, come out on top. Realizing this, Chandler reacts immediately and decides to flee forward, to the astonishment of his friends, and also kisses Rachel and Phoebe to make the situation right.
marriage proposal
Chandler got involved with Monica, but the marriage proposal was a long time coming. At her first marriage proposal, Monica’s former love Richard (Tom Selleck) shows up and ruins the moment. Finally, the marriage proposal will take place in his own home and it will be Monica who declares herself in one of the most romantic moments of the series.
You can follow EL PAÍS Television on X or sign up here to receive our weekly newsletter.
Get the TV newsletter
All the latest news from broadcasters and platforms, with interviews, news and analyses, as well as recommendations and reviews from our journalists
LOG IN