Jennifer Aniston Reacts To Matthew Perry's “Almost Death” Seizures While Filming 'Friends' Live
During a recent interview, the actress admits that Matthew Perry's confession surprised her and even took her aback.
Aniston told Today that she could not comprehend the "level of anxiety and self-torture" that her co-star experienced during filming days.
The Emmy winner then proceeds to say that "It makes a lot of sense" for Perry to feel a certain "devastation."
According to the actor himself, whenever Matthew didn't receive the reaction he pressured himself to have, he would suffer mentally and physically.
Matthew Perry Experienced "Almost Death" Seizures in Front of Live Audience
During his role as Chandler Bing, the actor had suffered through "immense pressure" to make the in-house audience react positively to his lines.
According to this article, Perry revealed how the cycle had felt unhealthy, "To me, I felt like I was going to die if they didn't laugh. And it's not healthy for sure."
The "Friends" star also shared how he would experience seizures whenever the audience didn't laugh at his jokes.
"...They wouldn't laugh, and I would sweat and just go into convulsions. If I didn't get the laugh, I was supposed to get. I would freak out," Matthew told his co-stars during the reunion episode.
Lisa Kudrow, who played Phoebe Buffay, was shocked by his confession. The actress cannot recall Matthew ever telling them about his anxiety.
Jennifer Aniston Claims "Friends" was the "Greatest Time in my Life"
Aniston's "greatest time" in her life simultaneously had been the worst for co-star Matthew who underwent rehabilitation for his drug use.
As shocking as his confession might have been, Matthew has always been public about his struggle with substance abuse and attending therapy.
"Eventually, things got so bad I couldn't hide it, and everybody knew," Perry once said in 2016 during a BBC radio interview.
However, Aniston still firmly remembers "Friends" as a peak in her life even after all the hurdles each cast member had to push through.
"I've had so many gorgeous times in my life but that was such a specific experience as an act creatively [and] how it affected all of our careers." Aniston shared with Today.
The actress also mentioned the global impact of the show in terms of helping the watchers deal with their "grief, mental illness, illness of any kind of disease, learning to speak English."
