3 films that Matthew Perry rejected: Why did the Friends star reject Independence Day, Lost in Space, and Don’t Look Up – Cinema News

For a generation, Matthew Perry will forever be Chandler Bing, the unforgettable “developer” of Friends and a favorite character of French (TV) viewers. The actor, who tragically died last weekend at the age of 54 and who was described by the series’ creators as “the funniest guy in the room,” left his mark on the history of the American soap opera.

Away from television, Matthew Perry has not distinguished himself on the big screen: the romantic comedy One Too Many, the double feature My Neighbor the Killer opposite Bruce Willis, the remake 17 Years Again where he shared the same character as Zac Efron… and that’s about it. . However, the American-Canadian actor would have three notable feature films to his credit. Find out which…

Independence Day rejected

Fans of Independence Day (1996) will necessarily remember the character of Jimmy “Raven” Wilder, USAF captain and wingman Will Smith in Roland Emmerich’s film. What they may not know is that the role played by Harry Connick Jr. was originally offered to him Matthew Perry. Chandler’s translator declined shortly before filming, leaving the pilot’s seat and character improvisations to the jazz musician, whose tour dates could fit in with the filming of a blockbuster.

For the record, Perry’s family is still involved in the fight against extraterrestrial invaders, with his father, John Bennett Perry, playing a small role in the film as a Secret Service agent responsible for protecting First Lady Mary McDonnell.

He almost starred in Lost in Space

Warner Bros. / New Line Cinema

after two years, Matthew Perry It misses another sci-fi film: Lost in Space (1998). Because yes, we forgot about it, but between the parent series from the ’60s and the 2018 Netflix reboot, there was a film adaptation led by William Hurt, Gary Oldman, Mimi Rogers, Heather Graham… and Matt LeBlanc, aka Joey. Tribbiani in friends. The role of intrepid pilot Don West was previously considered by Matthew Perry, who made room for his “roommate” in the series.

He had to leave, don’t look up

Backgrid USA / Bestimage / Netflix

In his memoirs, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir / Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing (Published by editions Michelle Lafon), Matthew Perry Share the decision “Heartbreaking”. This is having to give up the movie Don’t Look For (2021), “The greatest movie he could ever have”In which he played a Republican journalist in front of Adam McKay’s camera.

While he has already filmed sequences for the feature film opposite Jonah Hill in particular, and could have shared sequences with the great Meryl Streep, the actor was forced to pull out of the Netflix comedy. In fact, he suffered a cardiac arrest caused by a combination of hydrocodone and propofol during his stay at a detoxification center in Switzerland:

“I was given the dose at 11:00 a.m. I woke up eleven hours later in another hospital. The propofol seemed to have stopped my heart. For 5 minutes. It wasn’t a heart attack — I wasn’t in systole — but nothing struck. I was told This big Swiss guy really didn’t want the guy from Friends to die at his table, so he gave me CPR for 5 minutes, and he was hitting me and beating my chest. If I hadn’t been there for that, friends, would he have stopped at 3 minutes? “Friends saved my life again? He may have saved my life, but he also broke eight ribs.”.

After this incident Matthew Perry It was ruled that he was in so much pain that he was unable to return to the sets. The only scene I shot Don’t look up Unfortunately it wasn’t part of the final cut.