Matthew Perry was 24 years old when, along with Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc, he was cast in a new comedy called Friends. The day before filming began, director James Burrows flew the six friends on a private plane to dinner in Las Vegas and said, "Look around. No one knows you. You will never be able to do this again. Your life is going to change." And so it was. Perry, who died Saturday at the age of 54 at his home in Los Angeles, became Chandler Bing and would be attached to that character and that series for life. With his particular way of releasing phrases and gestures, he endowed the ironic Chandler with an unmistakable charisma that was maintained throughout the 10 seasons that the series lasted. Some of his character's quotes define his personality: "I'm not good at giving advice, can I interest you in a sarcastic comment?" "I'm Chandler, I make jokes when I'm uncomfortable." We take a look back at Matthew Perry's journey in Friends through nine iconic Chandler moments.
Learn more
Matthew Perry, Chandler on 'Friends,' dies at 54
Locked in an ATM
In the seventh episode of the first season, Chandler is locked in an ATM during a blackout in New York. He is not alone, he is accompanied by a model, which will illuminate awkward moments that only Chandler would be able to provoke. The situation will result in Matthew Perry unleashing his great capacity for physical humor. His fellow inmate even goes so far as to save him from suffocating with a piece of chewing gum that wasn't even his.
With Julia Roberts
In his memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Terrible Thing, Perry recalled the relationship he had with Julia Roberts, whom he met during the actress' participation in the series. It was for a double episode of Thanksgiving in the second season. She played a former classmate. The episode was watched by 53 million viewers and is the most watched of the entire series. Perry and Roberts dated in real life between 1995 and 1996, and it was he himself who put an end to the relationship. As she explained in her biography, she felt it wasn't enough for her. In Friends, Julia Roberts' character plays a practical joke on Chandler and leaves him in a restaurant bathroom dressed only in panties.
The Jellyfish Sting
Possibly one of the most memorable moments in Friends is when, on a trip to the beach, Monica is stung by a jellyfish. To ease the pain it causes, Chandler offers to urinate on his leg, a popular myth, but it made it all the way to Friends. On the way back from the trip, Monica, Joey and Chandler tell the rest of their friends, with great drama, how they experienced that uncomfortable situation.
Moving to Tulsa for Falling Asleep at Work
In season nine, Chandler falls asleep in an office meeting — what did Chandler do for a living? That was another of the big running jokes on Friends, because no one really knew what he was working on. He falls asleep just as his boss asks who wants to take over the offices in Tulsa, after which he unknowingly agrees. When he tries to fix the situation with his boss, he messes it up even more and has no choice but to leave for Oklahoma City. As it later transpired, the character's remission to Tulsa was actually an excuse for Perry to spend time detoxing from his addictions, a problem that dogged him for most of the series and was reflected in his physical changes.
Floor exchange
Joey and Chandler shared a flat on the same landing as Monica and Rachel. One day in season four, the friends decide to compete in some sort of trivia about their lives with Ross as master of ceremonies. Whoever won got the most beautiful floor, the girls' flat. Eventually, they win and will have to move. Trivia is one of the most memorable moments in the entire series.
Impossible to run away from Janice
One of the recurring supporting characters on Friends was Janice, Chandler's ex-girlfriend with an irritating tone of voice played by Maggie Wheeler. In order not to have to break up with her head-on, he tells her that she has to go to work in another country. She loves the idea of moving, but then Chandler comes up with the idea of telling her that the move is to Yemen. But Janice is determined not to leave his side until the last moment, which will cause Chandler to end up buying a ticket to that country.
Start a secret relationship with Monica
Monica and Chandler's secret courtship gave a lot of play in the series. So that it wouldn't be a shock to their friends, they decided to hide it from him for a while. Little by little, Joey, Rachel, Phoebe, and Ross eventually figured it out. The first to find out was Joey who, after catching them in the apartment he shares with Chandler one night and although the couple tried to hide it in different ways, ended up connecting the dots at the end of the chapter.
Kiss them all to hide
Keeping their relationship a secret wasn't easy for Chandler and Monica and at many points they were on the verge of getting caught. We were in season five, and at one point, Chandler leaves for work and kisses Monica goodbye with a kiss on the mouth. But Rachel and Phoebe, who don't know their relationship, are in front of them. Realizing this, Chandler reacts immediately and decides to run away and kiss Rachel and Phoebe as well to fix the situation, much to the astonishment of his friends.
Marriage Proposal
Chandler settled down with Monica, but the marriage proposal was made begging. In her first attempt at a marriage proposal, Monica's former great love, Richard (Tom Selleck) appears to be ruining the moment. Finally, the proposal will be in her own home and it will be Monica who declares herself in one of the most romantic moments of the series.
You can follow EL PAÍS Televisión on X or sign up here to receive our weekly newsletter.