The sudden death of Matthew Perry has come as a shock to his fans, family and Friends co-stars . Jennifer Aniston, for example, still can’t come to her senses . She and Matthew had a special relationship: the actor was in love with her even before the start of filming the sitcom, and she knew it very well.
The stars met three years before they were cast in Friends. Perry’s feelings immediately flared up. “I was immediately captivated by her and really liked her,” he wrote in his memoirs, excerpts of which were published by The New York Post. “And I have a feeling that she was intrigued too—maybe something would have worked out.” However, Jen carefully turned down her friend after he told her that he had booked tickets for two concerts on the same day. Years later, Matthew realized that he was too persistent, and this allegedly pushed the actress away. Jen told him that she wanted to remain friends, and he replied: “That’s impossible!”
Matthew’s feelings did not fade even after the stars began to spend hours on the set. “I realized that I was still in love. Our greetings and goodbyes were awkward. <…> But how can you not fall in love with Jennifer Aniston? At one point I just said to myself: “That’s enough,” the actor wrote. Matthew decided to focus on his work, and that helped. He joked that his obsession with his friend was due to a lack of interest on her part.
Over the years, the strange relationship between the actors grew into a strong friendship. Jennifer was one of those who supported Matthew in his long-term struggle with drug and alcohol addiction.
