The main cast of the hit comedy series Friends have turned down requests to participate in an upcoming Netflix documentary about the late actor Matthew Perry.
The upcoming feature, titled The One About Matthew Perry and directed by filmmaker Mary Robertson, is set to premiere on the global streaming platform on 27 October, coinciding with the third anniversary of the actor's death.
Refusal by the main cast
Despite being promoted as the first comprehensive documentary exploring Perry's life and career, the film will move forward without on-screen appearances from any of his five former co-stars. Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, and David Schwimmer all declined invitations to join the project after being approached by the production team, according to a report published by the American entertainment portal Page Six.
The six actors spent ten seasons working side by side on the NBC sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired 236 episodes between 1994 and 2004. Perry gained worldwide fame portraying the sarcastically witty Chandler Bing, starring alongside Aniston as Rachel Green, Cox as Monica Geller, Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay, LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani, and Schwimmer as Ross Geller. The ensemble remained closely linked in the decades following the series finale, famously reuniting on screen in 2021 for the television special Friends: The Reunion.
Reasons for non participation
The decision by the cast members to decline participation reflects their explicit determination to protect their personal grieving process from public spotlight. According to Page Six, the actors preferred not to revisit their shared grief before documentary cameras.
Jennifer Aniston was reported to be especially firm in her decision to abstain from the project, aiming to avoid publicly re-experiencing the intense grief caused by Perry's passing on 28 October 2023. Aniston had previously addressed the profound emotional challenges surrounding Perry's long battle with addiction. In an interview with Vanity Fair magazine, she spoke of the deep emotional wear of supporting her friend over many years and the grief experienced both during his life and after his loss.
Perry had been open about his decades-long struggles with severe substance abuse and alcohol dependency, topics he detailed extensively in his 2022 bestselling memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing. His death at his Los Angeles home in October 2023 at age 54 prompted widespread tributes from fans and industry peers around the world.
Documentary focus and family involvement
Following the refusal of the show's core stars, the production team restructured the narrative of The One About Matthew Perry to focus on the actor's immediate family circle and professional associates. The film combines previously unreleased media archives with new interviews from individuals who knew and worked with Perry throughout his personal and professional life.
The primary narrative anchor of the documentary comes from Perry's sister, Mia Perry Bowick, who works as a psychotherapist, author, and public speaker. Bowick has shared personal memories of her brother and provided access to an unpublished collection of family photographs and home videos that help build the core of the film.
Release details and production background
The project is directed by Mary Robertson, an American director and executive producer known for her work on non-fiction television and investigative documentary projects. Netflix plans to stream the feature globally as part of its expanding catalogue of biographical non-fiction programming.
Scheduled to premiere on 27 October, The One About Matthew Perry will arrive just one day ahead of the official third anniversary of the actor's passing on 28 October, offering viewers a retrospective of his life through the eyes of his family.
