Matthew Perry perfectly shut down a British journalist who called addiction a ‘fantasy’ in an old interview.
The actor, best known for playing Chandler Bing in Friends, died yesterday (28 October).
Perry was reportedly found in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home at the age of 54.
NBC – which aired the beloved sitcom - confirmed the tragic news in a statement: “We are incredibly saddened by the too soon passing of Matthew Perry.
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“He brought so much joy to hundreds of millions of people around the world with his pitch-perfect comedic timing and wry wit. His legacy will live on through countless generations.”
For many years, the actor had been very open about his struggles with alcohol and drugs.
Perry previously revealed he’d stopped watching back Friends because he could go ‘drinking, opiates, drinking, cocaine’ across the different seasons.
During a 2013 interview on BBC News he debated ‘the best way to deal with the consequences of drug addiction and break the cycle of offending’ with journalist, Peter Hitchens.
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The Brit said of Perry and Baroness Meacher, who chaired the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group for Drug Policy Reform: “What you two believe in this fantasy of addiction, in which people lose-“
But was cut-off by the Friends star who questioned: “Fantasy of addiction?”
Hitchens continued: “A complete fantasy, in which people lose all power of themselves and become victims of this terrible, frightening disease.
“This is what you believe, this terrible frightening disease after which they cannot stop taking drugs. If you really believe that, then you would presumably think the best thing would be that they never ever came in contact with those drugs.”
Perry then began: “I didn’t come here to listen to ludicrous things like that.”
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He went on to say: “The American medical association diagnosed it a disease in 1976, so you’re saying that’s incorrect?”
The actor added: “My life is the objective evidence,” of addiction being a disease.
Perry explained: “I am a drug addict. I’m a person who if I have a drink, I can’t stop. And so, it would be following your ideology that I’m choosing to do that.”
Hitchens believed Perry did choose that and that it is a choice, and continued to roll his eyes and sigh over his responses.
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The actor slammed: “We’re supposed to be grown men here.”
Perry explained: “I start thinking about alcohol, I can’t stop. I can’t stop thinking about it.”
Users in the comments called Hitchens ‘ignorant’ and called the actor’s perspective ‘valuable’ in the debate.
A cause of death for the actor is yet to be confirmed and an investigation is ongoing. There was no apparent foul play.
Topics: Celebrity, Friends, Matthew Perry, Mental Health, TV and Film, Drugs, BBC
Jess Battison