Why a Friends Episode When Chandler Spoke the Least was Matthew Perry’s Favorite

The late actor told PEOPLE in 2021 why he was most fond of one particular season 1 episode from the NBC sitcom

Friends aired 236 episodes during its 10-season run, and the one Matthew Perry said he enjoyed most was, ironically, an episode when his signature verbal humor was least on display.

During the season 1 episode “The One with the Blackout,” Perry’s character Chandler Bing gets stuck in an ATM vestibule with Victoria’s Secret model Jill Goodacre during a city-wide power outage.

“The interesting thing about that episode was I didn’t speak much; it was mostly in voiceover,” Perry told Entertainment Weekly in 2004 as Friends was nearing its finale. “We prerecorded what I said, and I had to react.”
It didn’t hurt that Perry’s scene partner was Goodacre, he admitted in the interview (which was republished in PEOPLE’s special edition issue timed to the NBC Sitcom’s 25th anniversary in 2019).

“Let’s face it: Jill Goodacre is hot, so it wasn’t that difficult,” he said, adding, “I [remember] spitting my gum out, and it stuck to the wall. It was my choice to just stay frozen in fear and embarrassment. … What was great about that night was that I was also able to watch the other three quarters of the show, which was these five great actors doing ensemble work that was amazing. This was the first time I realized, ‘Gee, this is really clicking.’”

Perry earned an Emmy nod for his work on Friends in 2002, and the show became an indelible part of his legacy as an actor.

He reunited with his costars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer in 2021 for an HBO Max special, though the castmates spent quality time together off screen through the years, often popping up at each other’s premieres and birthday dinners.

PEOPLE’s newly expanded Friends special edition issue is celebrating Matthew Perry’s life, humor and the show that made him beloved by millions.

In the weeks that followed, Perry’s costars also individually paid tribute to the actor on Instagram, highlighting his immense talent and kindness.
“Having to say goodbye to our Matty has been an insane wave of emotions that I’ve never experienced before,” Aniston wrote on Nov. 15, adding, “Matty I love you so much and I know you are now completely at peace and out of pain. I talk to you everyday… sometimes I can almost hear you saying ‘could you BE any crazier?’”

LeBlanc’s bittersweet farewell was simultaneously earnest and laced with humor.

“It was an honor to share the stage with you and to call you my friend,” he wrote on Nov. 14. “I will always smile when I think of you and I’ll never forget you. Never. Spread your wings and fly brother you’re finally free. Much love. And I guess you’ll be keeping the 20 bucks you owe me.”