In a recent interview, “Friends” alum Matthew Perry expressed regret over his comments about fellow actor Keanu Reeves in his memoir, questioning why he was still alive while discussing the tragic deaths of other actors like River Phoenix and Heath Ledger.
However, Perry has now stated that he will remove these hurtful comments from his memoir and personally apologize to Reeves if he gets to meet him in person.
Keep on reading to learn more.
Matthew Perry Faces Backlash For Ridiculing Keanu Reeves
Last year, “Friends” star Matthew Perry faced heavy backlash following the release of his memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing. The book mainly revolves around Perry’s struggles with opioid addiction and his path to recovery, which nearly cost him his life after his colon rupture due to excessive drug use at the age of 49.
Unfortunately, Perry’s memoir also included some controversial comments about “The Matrix” star Keanu Reeves. In excerpts from the book published by The Sunday Times, Perry took a shot at Reeves, stating, “Why is it that the original thinkers like River Phoenix and Heath Ledger die, but Keanu Reeves still walks among us?”
This back-handed comment caught Reeves off guard, with sources close to the actor claiming that he thought it was “out the left field.”
Matthew Perry Says He’ll Apologize To Keanu Reeves
In a statement to People magazine in October 2022, Perry apologized for his comment, saying that he had just chosen a random name for the prose and he’s “a big fan” of Reeves. “I apologize. I should have used my name instead,” he stated.
In his recent talk at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, Perry again expressed his regrets. The 53-year-old apologized for the jibe and announced that he had removed Reeves’ name from future editions of his memoir.
Perry admitted that referencing the “John Wick” star in such a way was a mistake and acknowledged he pulled the comments because he lives near Reeves. He explained, per Insider, “I said a stupid thing. It was a mean thing to do. I pulled his name because I live on the same street. I’ve apologized publicly to him. Any future book versions will not have his name in it.” The “Friends” alum also expressed his desire to apologize to Reeves in person, stating, “If I run into the guy, I’ll apologize. It was just stupid.”
Matthew Perry Says He Wants To Be Remembered As A Guy Who ‘Lived Life’
In his talk, Perry also shared that he tried to avoid criticizing anyone while writing his autobiography. The actor emphasized that the book’s purpose wasn’t to call out or target anyone, stating, “That wasn’t the point.”
He explained that he didn’t want to blame anyone in particular for the struggles he discussed in the book, which included his battle with opioid addiction. Perry said, “I’ve been in therapy since I was 18. I wanted to ensure that this wasn’t the kind of book where I blame people for what they did wrong. You have to give them credit for the things they did right.”
The “Whole Nine Yards” actor also said he would like to be remembered “as a guy who lived life, loved well, lived well, and helped people. That running into me was a good thing and not something bad.”
His Struggle With Substance Abuse
During an interview with the New York Times in 2022, the “Fools Rush In” actor opened up about his long battle with substance abuse. He revealed that his addiction began in his teenage years with alcohol before progressing to more complex substances such as Vicodin, OxyContin, and Xanax.
To feed his addiction, Perry admitted to seeing eight doctors simultaneously to obtain multiple prescriptions for the same drugs. The actor also shared that he “probably spent $9m or something trying to get sober.”
However, his decades of substance abuse came to a head in 2018 when he was hospitalized with pneumonia, an exploded colon, and other serious health issues. After spending two weeks in a coma and nine months with a colostomy bag, he underwent over a dozen stomach surgeries.
Perry wrote his memoir as part of his recovery and said the emotions came “pouring out of me – the painful stuff, hospitals, rehabs, all of this stuff — it poured out of me. It went quickly.”
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