Adam McKay’s Don’t Look Up is loaded with an all-star cast, and the movie almost added another big name before Matthew Perry’s cameo was deleted. Oscar-winning actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence lead Don’t Look Up’s satirical take on media, celebrity, politicization, and end-of-the-world madness as two low-level astronomers that discover a planet-destroying comet is heading towards Earth. Along with Leo and JLaw, Don’t Look Up is supported by performances from some of the biggest names in Hollywood like Meryl Streep, Jonah Hill, Timothée Chalamet, Tyler Perry, Cate Blanchett, and a minor cameo from Chris Evans.
Although Don’t Look Up didn’t necessarily need another A-lister to join the cast like Friends star Matthew Perry, his deleted cameo scene would have been exciting for those who haven’t seen the actor in many recent projects. After becoming an outrageous star from playing Chandler Bing on Friends from 1994-2004, Perry’s filmography gradually slowed to primarily consisting of cameos and guest-starring bits. While Perry has starred in a few notable post-Friends TV projects like Go On and The Odd Couple, Netflix’s divisively-reviewed Don’t Look Up would have been his first movie appearance since 2009’s 17 Again.
While plenty of celebrities were spotted on set giving cameo performances for Don’t Look Up, one odd star was seen filming scenes with Jonah Hill that were ultimately cut from the film. Matthew Perry was spotted on Don’t Look Up’s set with Hill during what appeared to be a political rally, which seems to be the scene in which Hill's character Jason Orleans is leading an event against the comet, whose slogan, “Don’t Look Up,” lends its name to the film’s title. People photographed Matthew Perry alongside a Kid Rock impersonator filming Don’t Look Up back in 2020, though the scene was inexplicably cut from the anti-comet convention bit.
Considering Perry’s Don’t Look Up character was also seen wearing a suit and speaking on stage at the rally, it’s safe to say he would have been a political ally of Meryl Streep’s President Orlean. Since Don’t Look Up never revealed President Orlean’s Vice President, it’s possible that this was Perry’s deleted cameo character, though no details of his role have been confirmed by McKay or Perry himself. When considering the black suit and coat outfit that Hill was wearing in the photo, it appears that Perry’s scene would have come in approximately an hour and 45 minutes into the film when Hill is leading a rally outside of the White House. In a quick shot of this scene, the Kid Rock impersonator can actually be seen toward the left of the stage cheering “Don’t Look Up,” right before Jason Orlean announces a text from his mom saying “Don’t trip.”
Netflix has yet to give a reason as to why Perry’s cameo was cut from Don’t Look Up, but the most obvious conclusion appears to be the film’s lengthy runtime. At 2 hours and 25 minutes, Adam McKay's 2021 movie is already cutting it close to being too long for a satirical film, so deleting Matthew Perry’s scene was likely just time-sensitive collateral. Some believe they have spotted him in that same rally scene when the crowd begins throwing objects at Hill, but the suit actually matches that of Congressman Tenant (Robert Joy) who had spoken ahead of Hill’s character. While Matthew Perry’s deleted Don’t Look Up cameo would have been a minor appearance, it still would have marked a triumphant return to moviedom for the beloved Friends star.