Matthew Perry opens up about Chandler's many changes in appearance on Friends. As with the rest of the show's core cast, the ABC hit sitcom catapulted the actor into mainstream popularity. Almost two decades since Friends ended, it remains at the forefront of pop culture, with its success seemingly only growing as new viewers discover it through streaming services.
Each core cast member of Friends has their own appeal, and Chandler, specifically, is known for his sarcasm and witty one-liners. His love story with Monica is also one of the most-loved aspects of his arc on the show. Consistently appearing on a TV series for a decade, Friends was able to carefully craft Chandler's character growth throughout the years. But it also subtly documented some of the darkest times of Perry's life as he secretly battled substance abuse for most of the Friends run.
Opening up about his time on the cult classic sitcom and life, in general, in his new memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing (via NBC News), Perry addressed Chandler's constantly changing looks on the show. As fans can remember, the character had some drastic weight losses and gains throughout the project's 10 years on the air. Apparently, there's a sad reason for all of it. Read Perry's full quote below:
“If you gauge my weight from season to season — when I’m carrying weight, it’s alcohol; when I am skinny, it’s pills. When I have a goatee, it’s lots of pills,”
Friends Never Addressed Chandler’s Changing Look
Despite the drastic changes in look throughout the years on Friends, the sitcom never really gave any explanation for them. In fact, it didn't even acknowledge them. This is because everyone else working on the show knew what was going on. Perry said that his co-stars, in particular, were nothing but gracious, empathetic, and helpful throughout his struggles. Knowing that he was dealing with something that was very tricky, the people behind Friends understandably didn't want to make the situation any more difficult by focusing on it. In any case, Chandler's changing looks never really factored into any of the storylines on the sitcom.
It's difficult to imagine how Perry was able to perform at a level that he did throughout Friends' 10-year run while battling his addiction. As he mentioned in his book, there was only one season that he was sober all the way through, which means that he was dealing with this issue while starring in one of, if not the most beloved, sitcoms of all time. The fact that he was able to maintain a consistent depiction of Chandler despite his personal woes makes his stint on the show so much more impressive.
Source: Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing (via NBC News)