Hank Azaria Details the Hilarious Pranks Matthew Perry Used to Play in Public
Hank Azaria, Matthew Perry
While reflecting on his friendship with Matthew Perry, comic and voice actor Hank Azaria revealed that the late Friends star was quite the comedian in his own right.
The hilarious revelations were detailed in a heartfelt and emotional tribute Azaria penned in The New York Times' opinion section on Thursday, Nov. 9, just shy of two weeks after Perry's untimely death.
"Every time — and I do mean every time — we went to a McDonald’s drive-through, he would ask the person on the other side of the speaker, 'Do you know what Grimace is?' After getting a 'no,' he would offer, 'I think it’s a purple shake that has no cup,'" Azaria recalled. "There was usually a pause followed by a very confused, 'May I take your order, sir?'"
It wasn't just fast food workers who fell victim to Perry's banter, but anyone who found themselves in a public restroom with the star.
"Whenever we went into a public restroom together, I’d beg him — I’d say, 'Please don’t do it, Matthew.' He’d say, 'OK.' Then he would proceed to go into a stall and start making little high-pitched straining 'ow' noises, that would build into a crescendo of a man full-volume screeching as if he were giving birth to whatever was coming out of him in there," Azaria wrote.
The 59-year-old producer went on to discuss Perry's ever-lasting legacy, even crediting the late actor with helping him make considerable strides in his sobriety and subsequent recovery. "I was unfortunate to have needed his help — or fortunate, depending on how you want to look at it," he added. "And certainly fortunate to have received that help and friendship directly from him. I was also a huge fan of his and felt the friendship that we all feel through Friends. I consider myself blessed that I got to experience both."
He concluded, "And I do want to say that if you go into recovery, while there will only ever be one of the real thing for me, you will find your own Matthew Perry. You’ll find someone to laugh with and connect with. You’ll find someone who understands your story. You’ll find someone who seems to care about you more than about him- or herself. I think Matthew would want folks to know that more than anything."
Perry was only 54 when he tragically passed away on Saturday, Oct. 28, following an apparent drowning just hours after he played a game of pickleball. Though an autopsy has yet to confirm his cause of death, preliminary reports suggest first responders were called to his Los Angeles-area home on Saturday after a call came in for a potential cardiac arrest.
Next: How Matthew Perry's Wish Is Becoming a Reality After His Death
