TV & Movies
How Friends Almost Broke The Fourth Wall
Matthew Perry shared details of the scrapped scene in his new memoir.
Longtime viewers of the beloved sitcom Friends likely believe they know all there is to know about the ‘90s TV favourite. However, one of the show’s lead stars, Matthew Perry (aka Chandler Bing), revealed a behind-the-scenes tidbit that would surprise even the most ardent of fans.
Writing in his new memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, Perry shared how the show came very close to breaking the fourth wall during the Season 8 episode, “The One with the Halloween Party.” As per Radio Times, the scrapped scene would have included Hollywood star Sean Penn, who made a guest appearance in the Halloween special as Ursula Buffay’s gullible boyfriend, Eric.
“The closest we ever got [to breaking the fourth wall] was with Sean,” he wrote. “I had pitched a tag (the brief end scene after the main story has landed) that had me backstage in the bunny rabbit suit. Sean walks by and I say, ‘Sean, can I talk to you for a second? ... I’ve been really giving this a lot of thought. And I think you’re a good person to talk to about this.’”
Writing in his memoir, Perry continued: “I’m smoking as I say this, and as I put the cigarette out with my huge bunny foot, I say, ‘I’ve been looking to transition myself into dramatic work.’” After looking at Perry “for about five beats,” Penn then would’ve responded, “Good luck.”
The Friends star added that, although his pitch “got a great laugh at the table read,” even an actor “as powerful as Sean Penn and me looking ridiculous in a huge pink bunny costume could not get the go-ahead to break the fourth wall.”
This isn’t the first time Perry has shared behind-the-scenes anecdotes while promoting his book Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing. Speaking to Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America, the actor recalled having to hide his crushes on his Friends co-stars, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, and Lisa Kudrow.
“Well, how can you not have a crush on Jenny? And Courteney? And Lisa?” Perry asked Sawyer, adding, “It made it kind of difficult to go to work, because I had to pretend that I didn’t.”
