‘MISS HIM DEARLY’

Jennifer Aniston: Matthew Perry Was ‘Not Struggling’ on the Day He Died

In a new interview, Aniston tells Reese Witherspoon her “Friends” co-star seemed “healthy” and “happy” before he died.

Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon are an obvious fit for a paired interview, given their longtime friendship and their work together on The Morning Show, but on Monday, the pair’s sit-down with Variety also sent them on a trip down memory lane to honor Matthew Perry.

Before they began co-starring together on Apple TV+, Aniston and Witherspoon played siblings on Friends, where Witherspoon guest-starred in two episodes as Rachel Green’s spoiled younger sister, Jill. Looking back on that experience, Witherspoon said, she felt lucky.

“You all were so close,” Witherspoon said. “It’s incredible what was born of those friendships, and how you guys have always taken care of each other for years and years. It’s really beautiful and set standards for our business, as well, with the way you respected each other.”

‘HEARTBREAKING’

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Witherspoon also recalled getting home from set and thinking, “Oh, they’re in another league. They’re on another planet on comedy levels that I’ve never seen my entire life, pivoting on a dime and working on each other’s energy, and it was extraordinary.”

As far as Aniston is concerned, a lot of that came from the late Perry—specifically, his “dialect, his way of speaking,” which she said “created a whole different world.”

“We went with his lead, in a way,” Aniston explained. “It just added something to our joy.”

Aniston confirmed to Witherspoon that she actually texted Perry on the day he died in October of an apparent drowning. When asked how she wants Perry, who was 54, to be remembered, Aniston said she hopes the world knows that he was happy.

As she put it, “He was healthy. He had quit smoking. He was getting in shape. He was happy—that’s all I know. I was literally texting with him that morning, funny Matty. He was not in pain. He wasn’t struggling. He was happy.”

Looking back, Aniston emphasized that her former co-star had been “really healthy” and working to improve his wellbeing even further. “He was on a pursuit,” she said. “He worked so hard. He really was dealt a tough one. I miss him dearly. We all do. Boy, he made us laugh really hard.”

When Witherspoon mentioned the “outpouring of love” that emerged for Perry after his death, Aniston agreed that seeing the many, many tributes come in was “so beautiful. I hope he can know that he was loved in a way he never thought he was.”

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Laura BradleySenior Entertainment Reporter

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