Matthew Perry issues apology after questioning why Keanu Reeves was alive

Several sections from Matthew Perry's upcoming memoir, ‘Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing’, were made available online earlier this week. The Friends star appears to criticise fellow actor Keanu Reeves in parts that appeared in publications including Variety and the New York Post.

In one such excerpt, Matthew Perry recalled the death of his former co-star River Phoenix in 1993 due to a drug overdose and said that he wondered why brilliant and unique thinkers like Heath Ledger and River Phoenix passed away but Keanu Reeves was alive.




The Friends star remembered River Phoenix as “a beautiful man on the inside and out; it turned out that he was too good looking and handsome for this planet. The really talented guys usually appear to go too soon”, writes Matthew Perry.

Further, the Friends star questioned ‘Why does Keanu Reeves still exist in our midst while original minds like River Phoenix and Heath Ledger have passed away?’ Matthew Perry said that River was a better actor; while he was humorous.

A large online backlash resulted from his comments, with hundreds of Twitter users defending Reeves.

Others sided with Matthew Perry and said that the Friends star would have picked Keanu Reeves' name as an "easy joke." And when the online backlash grew, Perry issued an apology, acknowledging that he had "made a mistake."

FAQs

What is the name of Matthew Perry’s memoir?
Matthew Perry's upcoming memoir is titled Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.

Where did the actor’s excerpts appear?
The excerpts from Matthew’s upcoming memoir appeared in a number of publications including Variety and the New York Post.