Lisa Kudrow Is Rewatching Friends After Matthew Perry's Death: 'Celebrating How Hilarious He Was'

"Matthew, obviously, is just uniquely hilarious," Kudrow said of her late costar. "No one ever knew that cadence or comedic rhythm before him"

Matthew Perry and Lisa Kudrow attend Hollywood Game Night
Matthew Perry and Lisa Kudrow attend Hollywood Game Night. Photo:

Trae Patton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty

Lisa Kudrow is celebrating the late Matthew Perry in the best way she knows how – by watching some of his best work.

The actress, who played Phoebe Buffay on the sitcom, is rewatching Friends for the first time in a long time in the wake of Perry's death last October, and is finding the rewatch to be a way of "celebrating how hilarious he was."

"Honestly, I wasn’t able to watch it because it’s too embarrassing to watch yourself. But if I make it about Matthew, then that’s okay," Kudrow, 60, told The Hollywood Reporter.

As she watches, she said she's "laughing out loud" at how "hilarious" the cast is.

"I’m blown away by Courteney Cox. I’m blown away by Jen [Aniston]. Matthew, obviously, is just uniquely hilarious. No one ever knew that cadence or comedic rhythm before him," she raved. "Matt LeBlanc is hilarious. And David Schwimmer, too. Sometimes I even laugh at what I’ve done."

Perry's standout humor is "what I want to remember," Kudrow told the outlet.

Reflecting on what the dynamic was like on set, she continued, "You’re just laughing all day long, basically, in between the scenes, because these are funny people. And especially someone like Matthew, whose goal was: How many laughs can I get in real life every day? So we were always laughing so hard, tears were flying out of our faces."

Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing and Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe in Friends
Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing, Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay in 'Friends'.

NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty

Watching the hit 90s sitcom is her "own little way of celebrating," she said, referring to the 20th anniversary of the series finale that passed in May.

Before now, though, she hadn't returned to the show, as it would be "embarrassing" to be caught in the act. "At home, if anyone walks in the room and I’m watching Friends, that’s a horrible look, I think, don’t you?"

In the wake of Perry's death – he was just 54 years old when he died from the acute effects of ketamine — Kudrow said "the world is remembering him the way he wanted to be remembered."

Cox, 60, recently opened up about how her former costar's legacy lives on in her eyes, as she called him "one of the funniest human beings in the world."

"He visits me a lot, if we believe in that," she told CBS Sunday Morning in May. "I talk to my mom, my dad, Matthew."

"I feel like there are a lot of people that are — I think that guide us," she continued. "I do sense — yeah, I sense Matthew's around, for sure."

Matt Le Blanc, Matthew Perry, Jennifer Aniston, and Courteney Cox in 'Friends'.
Matt Le Blanc, Matthew Perry, Jennifer Aniston, and Courteney Cox in 'Friends'.

NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

Aniston, 55, revealed that she was texting Perry — who she called "funny Matty" — the morning of his death as she told Variety, "He was not in pain. He wasn't struggling. He was happy."

"I want people to know he was really healthy, and getting healthy," she continued. "He was on a pursuit. He worked so hard. He really was dealt a tough one. I miss him dearly. We all do. Boy, he made us laugh really hard."

Related Articles