Matthew Perry was so good on Friends that he could steal an entire episode from his equally talented co-stars even when he was locked in a box. In “The One With Chandler in a Box,” one of Season 4’s best Thanksgiving episodes, Perry spends half of the entire episode off-screen. Chandler, who has a crush on Joey’s ex-girlfriend, volunteers to stay in the crate for six hours to show how much he values their friendship.
Perry, who died unexpectedly last Saturday at the age of 54, was only seen and heard during the show, but was able to demonstrate his vast comedic talents and command of the comedian’s characters. As a weapon of emotion. At the beginning of the episode, before Chandler goes on camera, he objects when Phoebe says she’s going to return all of Rachel’s gifts. “Not true.” Chandler said. “I gave him the backpack and he loved it.
I remember how much I cried the day the big dog ran away… He pauses for a moment and then says, “Well, it wasn’t a big dog.” Perry could have asked those five words as a question. It broke my heart when I found out about Rachel’s cheating. Instead, he articulates “no” with a syllogistic accent, implying that he’s a bit confused and disappointed that he believed the dog’s story just seconds ago. In the same scene, when Phoebe Chandler looks confused after telling Rachel she bought a briefcase with an R and G written on it, Perry seems helpful but utters a “God, do you?” “His initials are…” he suggested. “Do I really have to do this?” Should I explain this to you? above. Some of Perry’s best deliveries have this flavor.
His timing was so perfect that barely a millisecond went by without making a sound. Imagine him walking out from behind the door of The Jellyfish Bar’s famous purple suite and saying, “I knew it!” he cried. “It’s not a simple thing, it doesn’t happen to all men, it’s a big deal!” Rachel talks to Ross as he leaves. After he shouted. Perry knew exactly when the bullets would fly. There’s a moment in “Chandler in a Box” where Rachel and Ross fight over Thanksgiving dinner. Rachel leaves the room, leaving everyone in awkward silence. Perry waits five seconds and then yells at the box again. “You don’t know this, but I try to relax by yelling at you!”
Eventually, Joey gets tired of Chandler’s anger and asks him to get serious about the state of their friendship. Chandler agrees to remain silent for the duration of his time in the box. His silence shows how much he cares for Joey. Chandler Bing wasn’t really a cynical person. He was a smart guy and said the smartest things you could ever want to say. But when the scene called for angst and honesty, Perry brought it to the surface and made her mocking comments easy to swallow. Even in the bush, Chandler was sweet and gentle and became good friends with Joey. They had something in common. If Chandler had been written as just the typical smart guy, many actors of his generation would have played the role. Only Matthew Perry loved Chandler. He knew how to prick opinions and sprinkle tenderness. He can make rational comments that we would only accept from our closest friends.
In “Chandler in the Box”, Joey’s ex-girlfriend and Chandler’s current girlfriend, Kathy, comes to talk to Chandler. As Chandler Padgett sits quietly in a wooden box marked “Delicate,” Brewster’s Katie explains that she has to break up with Joey because she doesn’t want to ruin their friendship. The fairy is silent. But after saying goodbye, Cathy takes her index finger out of the air hole of the box and moves it up and down like a wave. There was something so tender and human about the way Perry handled the pointer that it brought tears to my eyes. This little gesture proves that some people have more talent in one finger than others have in their whole body.
As an actor, Perry wasn’t afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve or on his fingers if necessary. Despite his off-camera demons, Perry was consistently great as Chandler Bing for 10 seasons, maintaining a balance between satire and genuine warmth. He sarcastically claimed that he invented the concept. The funny thing is, they could do it in a bad way, or they could do it in a broader, more fun way. When you think of Chandler from Friends, the first image that comes to mind is Perry from the Season 4 episode “The Man with the Embryo.” Here, Joey and Joey win by climbing a strange dog statue and winning Monica and Rachel’s apartment. Depending on the rates. He’s munching on a sandwich with his arms outstretched and a big grin on his face. Looks comfortable.
This is what it looked like in the second half of the Friends season, after Chandler and Monica became a couple and eventually got married. They didn’t necessarily last long. As writer and executive producer Scott Silveri told Vulture’s Joe Adalian a few years ago, Chandler and Monica’s reunion at Ross’ wedding was a trial balloon for a potential long-term relationship in the season four finale. Viewers loved this idea so much, and the chemistry between Perry and Courteney Cox was so strong that Chandler and Monica were the most fitting couple on the show, perhaps more loved than Ross and Rachel. That’s partly because it’s so satisfying to see a smart guy fall for someone with a solid type-A edge like Monica. Monica Geller is someone Chandler Bing could make fun of for days, but instead he loves her for all the things she makes fun of. During their marriage, Ross and Rachel’s relationship was characterized by harmony and beginnings, while Chandler and Monica’s relationship was smooth and harmonious. When they proposed in season 6, they both got down on one knee together and it felt good. Some of Cox’s best work on Friends comes when he’s alongside Perry as a good scene partner when he’s alone, not to mention his inspired performance as a cold-blooded cuckold. True to the standards of a Friends sitcom, the entire main cast gave performances that felt alive and full of choices that were very specific to both the characters and the sensibilities of those playing them. As Chandler, Matthew Perry enjoyed this freedom as an artist. In theory, you can fully feel him even if he’s not on stage.
