George Clooney reveals late actor Mathew Perry's Friends success didn't bring him the joy and peace he desired

George Clooney is opening up about his decades-long friendship with Matthew Perry, as well as why he believes the actor's success on Friends didn't bring him the happiness he desired.

Clooney, 62, opened up about his relationship with Perry while promoting his new film The Boys in the Boat. Clooney specifically mentioned how he witnessed Perry's struggles with addiction while the two were starring in their respective NBC shows — ER and Friends — years ago.

"I knew Matt when he was 16 years old," Clooney revealed to Deadline. "I used to play paddle tennis with you. He's about ten years my junior. And he was a fantastic, hilarious, hilarious, hilarious kid."

When he was a kid, the Ocean's Eleven star recalled Perry frequently sharing his dreams of landing a role on a hit TV show.

"All he'd say to us, Richard Kind and Grant Heslov, was, 'I just want to get on a sitcom, man.'" "I just want to get on a regular sitcom and I'd be the happiest man on the planet," he told the outlet.

Despite the fact that Perry eventually landed a role as Chandler Bing on Friends, Clooney stated that he "wasn't happy." Despite realizing a childhood dream, he claimed Perry's achievement "didn't bring him joy, happiness, or peace."

Because Clooney's ER and Friends were shot "side by side" on the same NBC soundstage, the two would cross paths frequently. Friends aired from 1994 to 2004 and ER from 1994 to 2009. Clooney even appeared as a guest star in an episode of the legendary sitcom in 1995.

"And watching that go on on the lot — we were at Warner Brothers, we were there right next to each other — it was hard to watch because we didn't know what was going through him," he continued, referring to Perry's struggle with substance abuse, which he has openly discussed throughout his life.



"We just knew he wasn't happy, and I had no idea he was taking 12 Vicodins a day and all the heartbreaking stuff he talked about." "It also tells you that success, money, and all of those things do not automatically bring you happiness," he added. "You have to be happy with yourself and your life."

Perry was found dead at his Los Angeles home on October 28. He was 54.

According to an autopsy report obtained by PEOPLE from the Los Angeles County Coroner last week, the Friends actor died of acute ketamine effects. Drowning, coronary artery disease, and buprenorphine effects were also listed as contributing factors to his death in the document.



Perry was "reportedly clean for 19 months" before his death, according to the autopsy, though he was using ketamine infusion therapy and had his most recent treatment "one and a half weeks before" the drowning. On the other hand, the coroner stated that "the ketamine in his system at death could not be from that infusion therapy, since ketamine's half-life is 3 to 4 hours, or less."

Even though Perry struggled with substance abuse while on Friends, he spoke highly of the role and how it brought him — and fellow cast member Jennifer Aniston — so much joy. Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer have all achieved viral success.

"It completely transformed my life." I got the show when I was 24 years old and it ended when I was 34. It shaped my life. And it was the most fun I'd ever had," Perry previously told PEOPLE.

Perry said of the cast's support during his ongoing addiction, "They were understanding, and they were patient."