Matthew Perry turned down 3 movies: Why the Friends star said Independence Day, Lost in Space and Don’t Look Up

For an entire generation, Matthew Perry will forever be remembered as Chandler Bing, the unforgettable “developer” of Friends and the favorite character of French (TV) viewers. The actor, who died tragically this weekend at the age of 54 and was described by the series’ creators as “the funniest person in the room”, celebrated the history of the American soap opera.

• “I feel like a little part of me is gone,” Chandler’s French voiceover says of Matthew Perry’s disappearance.

Outside of television, Matthew Perry has finally made his mark on the big screen: the romantic comedy One Too Many, the diptych My Neighbor the Killer opposite Bruce Willis, the rejuvenated film 17 Years Again where he shared the same character as Zac Efron… and that’s about it. However, the American-Canadian actor could have three outstanding feature films in his filmography. Find out which…

He refused on Independence Day

Fans of Independence Day (1996) will surely remember Roland Emmerich’s character as US Air Force Captain and Will Smith’s Wing Jimmy “Raven” Wilder. What they may not know is that the role played by Harry Connick Jr. was originally offered Matthew Perry. Chandler’s interpreter quit shortly before filming, leaving the pilot and character improvisations to Jazzman, whose tour dates could coincide with the blockbuster shoot.

For reference, the Perry family was still involved in the fight against extraterrestrial invaders, as his father John Bennett Perry plays a small role in the film as a Secret Service agent in charge of protecting First Lady Mary McDonnell.

He almost starred in Lost in Space

A year later, Matthew Perry Skips another science fiction film: Lost in Space (1998). Because yes, we tend to forget it, but between the Sixties Mother series and the 2018 Netflix reboot, there was a film adaptation starring William Hurt, Gary Oldman, Mimi Rogers, Heather Graham… and a certain Matt LeBlanc aka Joey. Tribbani in Friends. The role of daring pilot Don West was once considered for Matthew Perry, who consequently gave way to his “room” in the series.

He had to leave, don’t look up

in his memories Friends, Lovers, and the Great Horror: A Memoir / Friends, My Love, and These Terrible Things (Published by publications (Michel Lafon), Matthew Perry Share the decision “heartthrob”. That I had to leave the movie “Look No High” (2021), “The Biggest Movie He’ll Ever Have”In which Adam McKay played the role of a Republican journalist in front of the camera.

Although he had already filmed a sequence for the feature film, namely opposite Jonah Hill, and could have shared sequences with the great Meryl Streep, the actor was forced to leave the Netflix comedy. Indeed, he suffered a cardiac arrest caused by a combination of hydrocodone and propofol while in a Swiss detox center:

“I was dosed at 11:00 a.m. Woke up eleven hours later in another hospital. Apparently the propofol stopped my heart. For 5 minutes. It wasn’t a heart attack – I wasn’t in asystole – but nothing. Beating. They told me that the big Swiss guy He really didn’t want his friends guy to die on his desk and he did cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on me for 5 minutes, kicking me and kicking me in the chest. If it wasn’t for me. Friends, would he have stopped at 3 minutes? Friends saved my life again? He might have saved my life , but also broke eight ribs.”.

After this incident, Matthew Perry He was judged to be in too much pain to return to the sets. The only scene in which he filmed Don’t look up Unfortunately was not part of the final cut.