Matthew Perry's press tour for "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing" was defined by the actor's unflinching honesty. In the same interview with People, for instance, he revealed that he'd had 14 surgeries on his stomach due to his years of drug addiction, which he said left him with numerous scars. "That's a lot of reminders to stay sober," he observed. "All I have to do is look down." The moving, contemplative candor of that statement was present in many of the final public comments that Perry made prior to his death.
During an appearance on "Real Time with Bill Maher," Perry further reflected on his life, noting, "Reality is an acquired taste. That's what I believe, and I have had a great deal of problems acquiring it." The actor brought not only real frankness to his later years but also a level of hard-fought wisdom that made the weight of his struggles just as apparent as the impressiveness of his personal victories. Furthermore, he made it clear that he didn't write his memoir solely for himself, but also for anyone he thought could benefit from what he had to say.
"I want people to understand that they're not alone," Perry confessed in an Instagram video he made in conjunction with the release of his memoir. "There's a famous line that people don't change. I happen to know that people do change and I see that every day." In other, separate interviews, the actor revealed that he'd realized in his older years that he didn't want his performance as Chandler Bing, while beloved by many, to be the best thing he'd done in his life. He also didn't want anyone else to see it that way.
