

‘I’m not a fatty any more – stay off the medication!’ Matthew Perry is in high spirits, looking trim, fit and cracking wise like the character that made his name. His whipsmart performance as Chandler Bing in ‘Friends’ established his credentials as a gifted comic actor, making him not only very rich, but also beloved of millions. (The chances of a reunion, by the way, are ‘almost zero’.) And also, it has to be said, not always very happy.
While friendly and generous with his time, Perry is both fiercely self-critical and rather guarded. Understandably so, given some brutal treatment at the hands of the press after a series of patchy roles away from Central Perk in workaday romcoms (‘Fools Rush In’), promising but short-lived series (‘Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip’) and tantalising cameos (‘The Good Wife’, ‘The West Wing’). As well, of course, as some very public battles with addictions to alcohol and prescription drugs that saw his weight fluctuate wildly.
Now clean, he’s a vocal advocate for treatment over punishment in drug policy. These days, he’s as determined to stay on an even keel personally as he is to experiment in his work, starting with the most peculiarly charming film of his career.





