Lisa Kudrow recalls being blown away by late ‘Friends’ costar Matthew Perry at first table read: ‘Uniquely funny’

Lisa Kudrow can still recall the incredible first impression Matthew Perry made on her.

The Friends star described Perry as “so smart, so funny. Uniquely funny” in an upcoming interview with Willie Geist previewed on Friday’s TODAY. “When we had that first table read, what Matthew was doing didn’t sound like what I thought I was going to hear. It was like nothing I’ve ever heard before, I went, ‘Oh boy.'”

“Matthew was blow-away hilarious,” she said.

Kudrow starred alongside Perry for 10 season on Friends. Their characters, the kooky Phoebe Buffay and the wise-cracking Chandler Bing, shared many memorable scenes in which they got to play off each other’s unique wit and comic timing. The season 5 moment in which Phoebe tries to seduce Chandler with some “bendy” moves has gone down in Friends history as a fan-favorite.

Perry died in October 2023 from the acute effects of ketamine. He was 54. Five individuals were charged in connection with Perry’s death in August, including the actor’s personal assistant and two doctors.

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The core cast and crew of Friends have been outspoken about the grief inflicted by the loss in the year and months since. Kudrow revealed last June that she was rewatching the series in full in honor of Perry, something she’d never done before.

“Honestly, I wasn’t able to watch it because it’s too embarrassing to watch yourself,” she said. “But if I make it about Matthew, then that’s okay. And it’s just celebrating how hilarious he was — and that is what I want to remember [about him].”

Both Courteney Cox and Jennifer Aniston honored a year since his passing this past October. Cox, whose character married Perry’s on Friends, wrote “Missing you today and always ❤️” on an Instagram post featuring fellow costars Aniston, Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer.

Aniston simply wrote “1 year” over her own Instagram post featuring photos with the late actor. Both actresses tagged the Matthew Perry Foundation, which seeks to aid those struggling with addiction by dismantling stigmas and providing education.