‘Fools Rush In’: The role Matthew Perry treasured more than Chandler in ‘Friends’
The tragic loss of the American actor Matthew Perry marks a considerable moment in the history of contemporary pop culture. Star of the iconic and influential American sitcom Friends, which ran from 1994 to 2004, Perry thrived as Chandler Bing alongside other actors Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox and Matt LeBlanc, helping to make one of the greatest TV programmes of all time in the process.
Rising to popularity in the late 1980s, Perry had found some success in the industry before his turn in Friends, appearing in such celebrated TV comedies as Second Chance, Sydney and Home Free. But, it was Friends that would, of course, catapult his star power into the stratosphere, giving him the chance to appear in other industry opportunities, starring in a range of peculiar movies.
His role as Chandler is by far his most celebrated role, but Perry did enjoy sporadic success on the big screen, too, appearing in the crime caper The Whole Nine Yards, The Kid with Bruce Willis and the coming-of-age comedy 17 Again with Zac Efron. Perry enjoyed the diversity of such roles, too, even surprisingly picking one specific movie role as his favourite over Chandler in Friends.
The surprising revelation came during an Instagram Q&A when one user asked the actor if Chandler Bing is his most treasured role or whether there was another movie or TV show that surpassed it. In response, Perry stated, “I did a movie that I love called Fools Rush In with Salma Hayek – that was probably my best movie”.
Appearing opposite the celebrated Mexican film star, Perry played Alex, a man who has a one-night stand with Isabel (Hayek), only to start a relationship with her after she discovers she’s pregnant. Helmed by the serial rom-com expert Andy Tennant, who also helmed Hitch with Will Smith and Sweet Home Alabama by Reese Witherspoon, the movie was largely forgotten about in the world of cinema, earning just $42million at the box office.
A lover of cinema, Perry once revealed his favourite movie to be the ‘Best Picture’ winner Annie Hall, directed by Woody Allen.
Recalling memories of watching the film with his mother, Perry wrote: “We had played games all day long—we even tried to play Monopoly, but it’s hard when there’s just two of you—and then as night fell, we found Annie Hall on our little TV and laughed our asses off at Woody Allen’s house under the roller coaster…That is my absolute favourite childhood memory — sitting with my mom and watching that movie”.
Take a look at the trailer for Fools Rush In below.
