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Matthew Perry was the snarky comedic voice that defined a generation
Published 12:43 29 Oct 2023 GMT
Updated 13:09 29 Oct 2023 GMT
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Remembering Matthew Perry's iconic role as Chandler Bing.
When I woke up this morning to the news that Matthew Perry had passed away aged 54, I, like probably many others, thought about my favourite moments from his most iconic character, the sarcasm-fueled Chandler Bing in Friends. While most of us have almost become desensitised to the announcements of celebrity deaths online and the subsequent outpouring of tributes from co-stars, family members and fans, certain passings stay with you and it’s usually the ones that truly had an impact on your life. For myself, and a generation of people who grew up watching Friends - specifically re-runs on E4 that occurred at pretty much every waking moment - it started to slowly dawn on me how much of an impression the comedic heartbeat of the show had on me. While Friends wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea - that cup has certainly cooled on me as the comedy starts to show its age - the sitcom was a defining cultural touchpoint of the 90s and early 00s, and within that, Chandler was the anchor.
Matthew Perry was the snarky comedic voice that defined a generation
Where some moments in Friends' 10-season run got a tad over-emotional and heavy-hitting for a sitcom, Chandler Bing was always there to bring everything back down to earth with a wry remark or cheeky comment, something which quickly became his trademark. From the iconic "I KNEW IT" line, in response to Rachel saying "it's not that common, it doesn't happen to every guy and it IS a big deal" during an argument with Ross, to his more nuanced delivery of “At what point did you think this was a successful marriage?” when Ross didn’t get an annulment from Rachel because he “couldn’t face another failed marriage,” there are myriad examples of Chandler breaking the tension in heavy Friends scenes, with his cutting sarcasm. As simple as that sounds, it was the way Perry used his language and intonations to pinpoint perfect comedic timing in every delivery that made him stand out as one of the greats. For something that could get quite tiring quickly, the fact that Perry was able to pull off one-liner after one-liner for a decade of shows is credit to the incredible prowess he had for comedy.Matthew Perry brought a warmth to Chandler
If it was just for his jokes though, Chandler could possibly be one of the most unbearable characters on TV. Instead, Perry brought a warmth and a maturing character arc that made him one of the most rounded members of the group. At the crux of it all, Chandler was as relatable as can get in a 90s sitcom. He had a well-paid but uninspiring job, a strained relationship with his parents, he broke up with people for silly reasons and he used humour as a defence mechanism. He was all of us at some point in our lives and, more importantly, he matured with us. By the end of Friends in 2004, Chandler had started a new career where he was much happier, committed to a loving and happy marriage with Monica, and mended his relationship with his parents.
While the humour and jokes stand out when we think of Chandler Bing, the journey we go on with him is what makes him so loveable and so achingly relatable. And nobody could have done a better job with that than Matthew Perry.
On screen, Perry was bringing humour and warmth to millions of fans, off it he was battling addiction issues which plagued his life for decades - something which makes his untimely death so much more heartbreaking, seeing as he looked to be on the road to recovery over the past few years.
Speaking at the press tour for his memoir last year, Perry said: “I would like to be remembered as somebody who lived well, loved well, was a seeker and his paramount thing is that he wants to help people. That’s what I want."
He can rest in peace knowing that, for an entire generation, he did all that and more.
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