That’s why Matthew Perry insisted on having the last word in the “Friends” finale.

Fans and colleagues around the world are still mourning Matthew Perrywho died last Saturday at the age of 54. The actor played the role of Chandler Bing in the cult sitcom ‘Friends’ for ten years and seasons, but while he made an audience of millions laugh week after week, in real life he struggled with serious addiction problems until the end. As part of the promotional tour for his memoir ‘Friends, Lovers, And The Big Terrible Thing’, Perry reaffirmed in 2022 that the success of ‘Friends’ and the team’s support played a huge role in him getting this far came. had.

In his book he also gives a moving anecdote about the final scene of the series: In it, Monica (Courteney Cox) cleans up the apartment and all the characters leave their keys on the counter. Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) suggests they have one last coffee — and Chandler replies in his tried-and-true, dry way, “Where?”

You can rewatch the scene here:

If you read the reactions of Rachel, Phoebe, Ross and Co. closer look, it’s clear that their laughter is actually spontaneous – because where else if not in the iconic Central Perk Café, almost every café has one of them. of the 236 episodes in the central locations, maybe they should have their last hot drink together?

In fact, the dialogue wasn’t in the script, and only Marta Kauffman, the show’s co-creator, was aware of it. “For the last episode, I went to talk to Marta Kauffman one on one,” Perry recalled in his memoir. “I said to her, ‘Look, no one cares but me, but can I please have the last line of dialogue?’ And that’s why I’m the one who pulls down the curtain on ‘Friends’ when we all leave the apartment.”

Against the backdrop of Perry’s untimely death, the casual but perfectly timed joke, which is also the last word spoken in ‘Friends’, takes on an extra emotional note. And it was also clear to the actor that his little improvisation had had an impact: “I like the face of David Schwimmer, when I say that word,” Perry wrote. “It’s the perfect mix of affection and fun, exactly what Friends has always given the world.”