The loss of ‘Friends’ actor Matthew Perry has brought up a lot of memories regarding the relationships amongst the cast members. Fans are captivated by these recently revealed details from Perry’s biography, which cover everything from his once-secret love for co-star Jennifer Aniston to a contentious episode he successfully had pulled from the show’s broadcast.
The Guardian has uncovered a touching story in which Perry describes how, during the ‘Friends’ filming in the 1990s, money began to shift on the set. According to Perry’s book “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,” each celebrity made around $22,000 for each episode of Season 1. But as the show went on and the romance between Rachel and Ross grew, their income soared more than everyone else’s.
Matthew continues, “By the time Season 3 rolled around, show producers wanted Jennifer and David to get paid far more than the other cast members, but Schwimmer stood up for the rest of the group.” Then, even though it meant a pay drop for him and Jennifer, he suggested that everyone band together to bargain in order to receive an equal amount.
“David had certainly been in a position to go for the most money, and he didn’t. I would like to think that I would have made the same move, but as a greedy 25-year-old, I’m not sure I would have.”
He continues, “But his decision served to make us take care of each other through what turned out to be a myriad of stressful network negotiations, and it gave us a tremendous amount of power … We had David’s goodness, and his astute business sense, to thank for what we had been offered. I owe you about $30m, David.”
According to MP, by Season 8, every ‘Friends’ cast member was earning almost a million dollars every episode. He attributes Schwimmer’s early establishment of this precedence. It seems that they persisted in haggling about pay over time as a group.
In a shared statement following Perry’s demise, Schwimmer, Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, and Lisa Kudrow stated that the tragedy was “unfathomable” and that they were still processing it as a group. In the days that followed, they kept a low profile.
Fans of Perry and “Friends” in general are still in shock, and understandably so. His untimely demise was unexpected and is still a mystery. There’s an investigation going on right now.
