Three years nearly to the day of Friends star Matthew Perry‘s death, Netflix will debut its three-part docuseries about the actor’s life, struggles with substance abuse and untimely death in The One About Matthew Perry. The newly released trailer opens with Perry quoting the prayer he made before his fateful Friends audition, “God, you can do anything you want to me, just please make me famous.” As Perry narrates, “I got a phone call and I instantly knew my whole life was gonna change… but God did not forget the other part.”
For Perry, who died of a drug overdose in 2023 at the age of 54, “the other part” was a lifelong battle against substance abuse and depression, with the documentary (directed by Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV Emmy nominee Mary Robertson) allowing Perry’s sister Mia and the actor’s real-life friends to express their admiration for both Perry’s comedic talents and his determination to fight against his disease.
As Mia notes, Perry spent some $7 million of what he earned from becoming one of TV’s biggest stars on attempts to get sober, while others (like The Whole Nine Yards costar Kevin Pollack) attempt to hold back tears. “So is this the funny part of the documentary?” one lifelong friend asks, with Chandler Bing-esque timing. Concluding with a Late Show With Stephen Colbert clip from the year he died, the trailer closes with Perry telling the adoring audience, “I missed you guys. I missed all of you.” Fans still reeling from the talented and troubled Perry’s death will no doubt return the sentiment. The One About Matthew Perry premieres on Netflix on October 27.
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