‘Friends’: Matthew Perry Says This Is What Chandler Would Be Doing in 2021
Friends might have gone off the air in 2004, but for fans of the iconic sitcom, it is evergreen. The series has remained in continuous syndication since the series finale aired.
Now, with a highly-anticipated reunion set to hit HBO Max on May 27, more viewers than ever are discovering the world of Friends — and falling in love with all the eccentric, lovable characters. In a clip from the upcoming reunion special, the actors who inhabited the characters opened up about what they think their characters would be doing in 2021 — and Matthew Perry had a very specific idea.
Who did Matthew Perry play on ‘Friends’?
Perry was born in Massachusetts in 1959. He was athletic as a young man and was active in lawn tennis, going on to become a top-ranked junior player.
Eventually, though, Perry decided to pursue acting, and when he was 15 years old, he moved to LA to try to break into the entertainment industry. After a few years of studying improv comedy and auditioning for various roles, he got his big break on television, appearing in the TV series Second Chance.
Throughout the late ’80s, Perry continued to act on television. However, he failed to land the role that would make him a star, and it wasn’t until 1994, when he was cast as Chandler Bing on the new TV show Friends, that he really made an impression with critics and audiences.
Perry, along with the rest of his Friends castmates, became a huge star — and part of the newest generation of television icons.
What happened to Chandler Bing at the end of ‘Friends’?
Every character in Friends was completely unique, and certainly, Chandler Bing was unlike any other leading man on television.
As portrayed by Perry, Chandler is a neurotic child of eccentric parents, good with money but bad at connecting with eligible romantic partners. In fact, Chandler is notoriously commitment-phobic, and it isn’t until he establishes a romance with his longtime friend, Monica Geller, that he is able to find true, lasting love.
In the season seven finale of Friends, Chandler and Monica tie the knot. Their marriage would provide much of the fodder for the remaining three seasons of the hit comedy, and in the series finale, the couple adopts a set of newborn twins.
Chandler and Monica are finally ready to move out of their small apartment and into a house in the suburbs — an outcome that a younger Chandler probably never would have anticipated.
What does Matthew Perry think that Chandler would be doing now?
For most of his career, Chandler Bing makes a good income working in statistics and data management. While his exact job title is always vague, in the ninth season of Friends, Chandler makes a big life change when he accepts a job in advertising, a career which he enjoys much more than his previous work in statistics. It is also a better fit for his sarcastic sense of humor — a trait that Perry particularly enjoyed.
In a sneak peek of the Friends reunion special, Perry was asked what Chandler would be doing in 2021, and the actor has very specific thoughts. Chandler “would be a wonderful father,” Perry stated, adding “and a wonderful comedy writer.”
Fans will likely learn even more about Perry’s journey to becoming Chandler Bing when Friends: The Reunion starts streaming on HBO Max on May 27.
