“FRIENDS” fans were shocked and saddened by the sudden passing of Matthew Perry last month. The sitcom star was fondly remembered by his fellow cast members, and many are still grieving over his loss. On top of being an advocate for sobriety and those who wished to ease their struggles, Perry was also responsible for axing a storyline for Chandler on “FRIENDS” that he felt would forever damage the character’s reputation.
This information comes from guest star Lisa Cash, who appeared as a flight attendant in the season 5 episode “The One In Vegas: Part 1.” Originally, Cash was cast as a hotel employee with whom Chandler was meant to have an affair, as a jealous response to Monica having lunch with her ex-boyfriend Richard (Tom Selleck).
Cash revealed Perry actively fought against the storyline.
Rehearsed And Then Rewritten
“I came in as a guest star and I was super excited. The scene was Chandler and Monica were arguing in Vegas about having lunch with Richard,” Cash said. “Initially in our script, Chandler goes up to the hotel room, orders room service and I bring it up [to him] as a hotel worker. We end up talking and laughing and connecting and Chandler ends up cheating on Monica with my character. The day before we were shooting in front of a live audience, I was told that Perry went to the writers and said the audience would never forgive [Chandler] for cheating on Monica. He was probably right! That would’ve changed possibly the course of the show and his character.”
Monica and Chandler’s relationship was one of the central stories to the sitcom. Perry was likely right in stopping the producers for going through with a cheating aspect. While conflict can be a central part of storytelling, it can be taken too far when written for shock value. The trust that would have been broken between the two characters would likely be irreparable and forever change the way fans view the two characters. Especially given how hard it is to please a fanbase. While production won’t always listen to its actors regarding story lines, probably for the best they went with Perry’s decision.
You can catch all episodes of “FRIENDS” on MAX.
