Courteney Cox Pays Tribute to ‘Friends’ Costar Matthew Perry: ‘I Miss You Every Day’
Two weeks after Matthew Perry’s death, Courteney Cox is looking back at their time together on Friends.
“I am so grateful for every moment I had with you Matty and I miss you every day,” Cox, 59, wrote via Instagram on Tuesday, November 14. “When you work with someone as closely as I did with Matthew, there are thousands of moments I wish I could share. For now, here’s one of my favorites.” (Perry died on October 28 at his Los Angeles home after an apparent drowning in the jacuzzi. He was 54.)
The actress, who played Monica Geller on the NBC sitcom alongside Perry’s Chandler Bing, recalled the season 4 episode in which Monica and Chandler first sleep together while in London for Ross Geller’s (David Schwimmer) wedding.
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“To give a little backstory, Chandler and Monica were supposed to have a one-night fling in London. But because of the audience’s reaction, it became the beginning of their love story,” Cox explained. “In this scene, before we started rolling, he whispered a funny line for me to say.
He often did things like that. He was funny and he was kind. ?????.”
Cox shared the scene that viewers saw back in 1998 when Ross comes into Chandler’s room to tell him he’s getting married that day. Under the covers, Monica is hiding and once Ross leaves she pops up and says, “Do you think he knew I was here?”
In the deleted scene — which only the cast and crew saw — Monica stayed cozied up to Chandler and quipped, “OK, your turn!” before sliding back under the covers.
“We’re kidding. He told me to say it … he did!” Cox told the cameras as she held back a laugh and Perry smiled at her in the bed.
The sweet moment is just one of many the twosome shared while playing the onscreen love interests. Friends ran for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004.
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Two days after Perry’s passing, the core cast of Friends, Cox, Schwimmer, 57, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow and Matt LeBlanc, paid tribute to their longtime pal.
“We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family,” the actors said in a joint statement to Us Weekly on October 30. “There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.”
The statement continued: “In time we will say more, as and when we are able. For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world.”
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Hours prior to Cox’s look back at her time with Perry, LeBlanc, 56, shared his own message of love for their late friend.
“Matthew, It is with a heavy heart I say goodbye. The times we had together are honestly among the favorite times of my life,” LeBlanc wrote via Instagram on Tuesday alongside photos from their time as TV roommates Joey Tribbiani and Chandler. “It was an honor to share the stage with you and to call you my friend. I will always smile when I think of you and I’ll never forget you. Never.”
He added: “Spread your wings and fly brother you’re finally free. Much love. And I guess you’re keeping the 20 bucks you owe me.”
When Perry was laid to rest at a private funeral in Los Angeles on November 3 his five Friends costars were in attendance, according to TMZ. The cast reportedly paid their respects alongside Perry’s mother, Suzanne Morrison, his father, John Bennett Perry, and his stepfather, Keith Morrison.
