In a recent interview, former “Friends” Matthew Perry expressed regret about his comments about his co-star Keanu Reeves in his memoir, questioning why he was still alive while discussing the tragic deaths of other actors such as River Phoenix and Heath Ledger.
However, Perry has now stated that he will remove these hurtful comments from his memoir and personally apologize to Reeves if he ever meets him in person.
Continue reading to learn more.
Matthew Perry faces backlash for mocking Keanu Reeves
Last year, “Friends” star Matthew Perry faced backlash after the release of his memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Great Horror. The book mainly revolves around Perry’s struggle with opiate addiction and his path to recovery, which nearly cost him his life after suffering a ruptured colon due to excessive drug use in the United States. age 49.
Unfortunately, Perry’s memoir also includes some controversial comments about “Matrix” star Keanu Reeves. In excerpts from the book published by Sunday TimesPerry criticized Reeves, saying, “Why do early thinkers like River Phoenix and Heath Ledger die, but Keanu Reeves still walks among us?”
This mixed comment caught Reeves off guard, with sources close to the actor claiming he thought it was “out of the school on the left.”
Matthew Perry says he will apologize to Keanu Reeves
In a statement to People’s magazine in October 2022, Perry apologized for his comment, saying that he had just picked a random name for the prose and that he was “a huge fan” of Reeves. “I’m sorry. I should have used my name instead,” he said.
During a recent talk at the Los Angeles Times Book Festival, Perry once again expressed her regret. The 53-year-old apologized for the ridicule and announced that he had removed Reeves’ name from later editions of his memoirs.
Perry admitted that it was a mistake to refer to the “John Wick” star in such a way and admitted that he withdrew the comments because he lives near Reeves. He explained, each Insiders, “I said a stupid thing. It’s a meaningful thing to do. I pulled his name because I live on the same street. I publicly apologized to him. Any future edition of the book will not have his name on it.” The former “Friends” student also expressed his desire to directly apologize to Reeves, saying: “If I run into him, I will apologize. It’s just stupid.
Matthew Perry Says He Wants To Be Remembered As A ‘Living Life’ Guy
In his talk, Perry also shared that he tried to avoid criticizing anyone when writing his autobiography. The actor stressed that the book’s purpose is not to appeal to or target anyone, saying, “That’s not the point.”
He explained that he didn’t want to blame anyone in particular for the struggles he discussed in the book, including his battle with opioid addiction. “I have been in therapy since I was 18 years old,” says Perry. I want to make sure this is not the kind of book where I blame people for what they did wrong. You have to give them credit for what they did right.”
The “Whole Nine Yards” actor also said he wants to be remembered “as a guy who lived his life to the fullest, loved well, was kind, and helped people. Meeting me by chance is a good thing, not a bad thing.”
His struggle with substance abuse
In an interview with New York Times In 2022, the “Fools Rush In” actor opened up about his long battle with substance abuse. He revealed that he started drinking alcohol in his teenage years before moving on to more complex substances like Vicodin, OxyContin and Xanax.
To satisfy his addiction, Perry admitted to seeing eight doctors simultaneously to get multiple prescriptions for the same drug. The actor also shared that he “probably spent $9 million or something trying to stay sober.”
However, his decades of substance abuse culminated in 2018 when he was hospitalized with pneumonia, an exploding colon and other serious health problems. After two weeks in a coma and nine months with an ostomy bag, he has undergone more than a dozen stomach surgeries.
Perry wrote his memoir as part of his recovery and said that the emotions “swept over me – painful things, hospitals, rehab, all of this – it poured out of me. It went quickly.
