Why Matthew Perry Felt ‘Guilty’ Cashing His Multi-Million-Dollar Friends Paycheck at the Show’s Height

Matthew Perry had mixed feelings about making $1 million per episode Friends.

The late actor, who died on October 28 aged 54, recalled feeling guilty after he and his co-stars negotiated their historic salaries.

“The worst part of it was the guilt, like, ‘Wait a minute, I’m going to be here doing something I love,'” he shared in an exit interview with Entertainment Weekly timed for the series finale of the hit NBC comedy in 2004 (which was included in a recent PEOPLE Friends Special edition).

Matthew Perry once said he would give up fame and fortune to avoid dealing with addiction: ‘I would change everything’

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The actor who played Chandler Bing Friendsspoke with PEOPLE for the 2022 cover about the joys of filming 10 seasons of the sitcom alongside cast members — and real-life friends — Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer.

“I’m not discounting how much fun the experience was Friends,” he explained. “And the money was incredible. Just the creative experience of being on the show probably saved my life.”

Perry — who has been open about his battle with addiction — added: “When you’re making a million dollars a week, you can’t have a 37th drink. You have to go home and sleep. … It was the greatest job in the world.”

Before his death, Matthew Perry revealed why he never watched Friends

Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry, Jennifer Aniston in ‘Friends’,.

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However, the actor admitted that he would give up all his fame and fortune to avoid addiction.

“The fact that I would change everything if I didn’t have this disease is true,” he said.

Perry was found dead at his home in Los Angeles on October 28. Sources told TMZ that 911 were called to the residence for a cardiac arrest, and no drugs were found at the scene.

In addition, the house received the sound of an ambulance mentioning “drowning”.

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Matthew Perry poses at the Broadway premiere of “Six Degrees of Separation” at The Barrymore Theater on April 25, 2017.

Bruce Glikas/Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic

Shortly after Perry’s death, his Friends The costars broke their silence with a joint statement exclusively to PEOPLE: “We are all completely devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than co-stars. We are family. There is so much to say, but right now I will take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.”

Friends Filmmaker Why Matthew Perry Made ‘Perfect’ Chandler Bing: ‘He Was Inventive’

Friends creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane, as well as executive producer Kevin Bright, also issued a joint statement.

“We are shocked and deeply, deeply saddened by the death of our beloved friend Matthew,” they wrote. “It still seems impossible. All we can say is that we feel blessed to have had him as a part of our lives. He was a brilliant talent.”

A statement from Kaufman, Crane and Bright concluded: “We will always cherish the joy, the light, the dazzling intelligence that he brought to every moment — not only to his work, but to his life. He was always the funniest person in the room. More than that, he was the sweetest, giving and selfless heart.”

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A new expanded special edition of PEOPLE’s Friends celebrates Matthew Perry’s life, humor and the series that made him beloved by millions.

PEOPLE confirmed that Perry was laid to rest on Nov. 3 at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles. All five of his Friends Costars were present at the service.

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