After a few too many false starts than he would have liked after Friends, actor Matthew Perry has today been promoting his latest sitcom, a new version of Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple in which he co-stars with Thomas Lennon.
At the 2015 TCA Winter Press Tour panel, E Online spoke to him about life after Friends, whose success still amazes him.
“I didn’t envision living past 2000 so I had no idea [how big Friends would get],” Perry said. “I never really thought about the future and I had no idea I would ever be involved in something as big as Friends and I will never be involved in anything as big as Friends ever again because TV is so different now.”
“Being on Friends has allowed me to have my pick of a lot of TV shows I want to do,” Perry said. “I try to choose things that are generally off the beaten path. But [The Odd Couple] is straight down the line, just an attempt to be funny on a big hit show.”
Despite the success of the show over a decade later, Perry doesn’t ever re-watch old episodes. “I sometimes go back and watch the blooper reels, because they’re so much fun to watch. But no, I don’t go back to watch.”
The Odd Couple is set to air this year on CBS; Friends is available on Blu-ray and DVD, as well as now being available to US Netflix subscribers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL18yMRIfoszH_jfuJoo8HCG1-lGjvfH2F&v=usnScWU5JkY&feature=player_embedded
Originally published January 13, 2015. Updated April 15, 2018.
