Sean Penn shared a moving tribute to Friends star Matthew Perry during a candid and emotional interview with Piers Morgan Uncensored.
In an interview with talk TV broadcaster Piers Morgan, the 63-year-old Oscar winner spoke publicly for the first time about Perry’s tragic death and praised him as a “talented guy.”
In a preview clip of Wednesday night’s upcoming special, Penn, whose son Hopper battled crystal meth addiction as a teenager, praised Perry for being “brave” by speaking out about his own struggles with substance abuse.
“What a talented guy.” “I can’t say I knew him well, but I liked him a lot,” said the actor.
Grieving: Sean Penn shared a moving tribute to Friends star Matthew Perry during a candid and emotional interview with Piers Morgan Uncensored
Penn continued, “I saw him recently as we were both catching a flight from Los Angeles airport, and I complimented him on what I knew about his book.” I hadn’t read the book, I had saw some of his interviews and he seemed to talk about it, had dealt with it, was very intelligent and courageous and generously offered his experience to people to be helpful.
The Santa Monica native continued, “It’s tragic, I can’t say I was terribly surprised.” I don’t know what the full coroner’s report is, but I do know that he has done a lot of damage to his body over the years organs.”
“You know, it was a difficult situation and he had to do this, he had to put this history behind him and he was able to bring a lot of joy to a lot of people with his talent. “So I wish his family all the best,” the father of two concluded.
In 2001, Penn had a small appearance in “Friends” as the friend of Phoebe’s (Lisa Kudrow) twin sister.
He appeared in two episodes titled “The One With The Halloween Party” and “The One With The Stain”.
Previously, Friends director Kevin S. Bright called Penn “the least successful” guest star on the series.
“Just the style of production wasn’t what he was used to on a show like this, so there was a bit of a deer in the headlights,” he told Metro.co.uk.
Penn’s comments come a week after a source told that Perry’s Friends co-stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt Le Blanc and David Schwimmer were in early talks to join him to honor upcoming Emmy Awards.
Gone too soon: During a conversation with talk TV broadcaster Piers Morgan, the 63-year-old Oscar winner spoke publicly for the first time about Perry’s tragic death, praising him as a “talented guy” (seen in 2012).
The beloved actor was found dead in his hot tub on October 28 at the age of 54. His cause of death was deferred pending the results of a toxicology report.
“Emotions are still running high when it comes to Matthew’s death and it’s still a very sensitive situation, which is completely understandable,” a source told exclusively.
“When it comes to Matthew’s death, emotions are still running high and it’s still a very sensitive situation, which is completely understandable,” the insider told exclusively.
“But Jen, Lisa and the rest of the cast want to honor him publicly at some point and give him the tribute he rightly deserves – and there have been rumors of doing so at next year’s Emmys.”
Reunion: Penn’s comments come a week after a source told that Perry’s Friends costars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt Le Blanc and David Schwimmer were in early talks to challenge him for the upcoming Emmy honor awards
While Perry will likely appear in the In Memorium segment, the insider claimed that Lisa, 60, Courteney, 59, David, 57, Matt, 56, and Jennifer, 54, also enjoy sharing their memories on stage would.
“They would all love to come together on stage to talk about him and also have their own unique moment, sharing memories of him and telling the world about the man he was in real life,” they continued.
“If they can all agree on a worthy tribute and receive the blessing of his family, they will definitely come together to make this evening a special moment for Matthew and everyone who loved him.”
The 75th Emmys are scheduled to take place on January 15 at the Peackcock Theater in Los Angeles – three months after the original date was canceled due to the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes.
Perry was nominated for five Emmy Awards throughout his life, including Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 2002 for his role in Friends.
He was also nominated twice for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his appearance on “The West Wing” in 2003 and 2004.