Matthew Perry has revealed that he cannot rewatch old episodes of Friends, as he can tell from his appearance which drugs he was abusing at the time.
Speaking to Tom Power as part of Q on CBC, Matthew said "I didn't watch the show and haven't watched the show, cause I could go 'drinking, opioids, drinking, cocaine. I could tell season by season by how I looked."
Matthew did a lengthy interview at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema in Toronto where he spoke about his struggles with addiction, and why fame could not solve his problems.
"I got the great job, I was good at it, I bought the house, the house had a pool, ...I loved it, for about 6 months. and then I walked in my house and went 'Oh man, this is not fixing this problem that I have.'"
Matthew explained that his addiction problems would affect his performance on set, as he struggled with withdrawals while working. While he had "too much respect" for his fellow actors to drink or use drugs at work, he said, "I did work extremely hungover, at one point I was shaking so much, that if I was going to cross from the bookshelf to the table I'd have to quickly do it and put my hand on the table so I wouldn't shake."
The actor received treatment for his addictions in 1997 and 2001 and went into rehab a total of 15 times in his efforts to stay sober. He told People magazine he had to undergo 14 surgeries alone on his stomach, and that if he wants a reminder to stay sober, all he has to do is "look down" at his scars.
Matthew went on to tell Tom Power that writing his book "Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing", was a "cleansing experience" but reading it was almost impossible. "I looked at the book and was just like 'this guy has had the most torturous life, I can't believe it and then I realised that it was me I was talking about."
Matthew said he feels he now can help others with their issues, stating "the best thing about me is I can help people if they ask me to, that's the ticket for me, helping people on a large scale or helping one guy."
