"Actor Matthew Perry is famous, handsome, young, and rich.

He makes a cool $75,000 per episode playing zany Chandler in the hit comedy Friends.

And he has jusy earned another million for his first starring role opposite Mexican stunner Salma Hayek in the romantic comedy Fools Rush In.

At 27, Perry is also one of the most eligible bachelors in Hollywood. But when the movie opened in the US on valentine's Day, in real life the star found himself ALONE again.

He says"Valentine's Day is either a really lovely holiday if you're with somebody you love, or really depressing if you're not.

"So, let's just say I'm really glad I had a movie opening that day, so I had something to do."

He's only half-joking, so why can't he seem to get a girlfriend? After all Perry, who lives alone in a luxurious Hollywood Hills home with a pool, jaccuzi, and has two porches in the garage, comes across as a funny, quick-witted and entertaining guy.

Perhaps it's because the film's director, Andy Tennant has revealed that the sexy actor described himself as "the world's worst date".

Ask him why he'd call himself that, Perry winces and says "Dating has always been a bizarre thing for me. No two people are themselves on a first date. They're their mostcharming versions of themselves.

"You can't keep up that level of charm or you'd have a heart attack. So you pretend to be the ideal version of youself for about four dates and then the truth seeps out and you have to spend a lot of time getting to know your real selves."

The normally wisecracking starseems a tad gloomy on the subject of girlfriends.

He confesses "I was confused about dating before Friends."

But it gets worse. Ask Perryhoe dating has changed for him becoming a big star and he just shakes his head.

"It's all bad," he states flatly.

So how can he be sure the girl is solely interested in him - Matthew Perry - and not the big TV star?

He says:"I'm a rather trusting type of guy. I don't think the worst of people if they're interested in me. And if a very attractive woman is interested in me because I'm on a TV show, I'll take advantage of that."

Perry and Julia Roberts were spotted looking very cosy together several times last year, but he insists:"They were just dinner-and nothing happened."

Same thing with Virginia Madson and other actresses.

As for the current rumours that Perry and Fools co-star were going out together and having a hot and heavy affair, the star is even more insistent.

He says:"We may be the only two people who've starred in a romantic comedy who didn't date each other.

"And maybe people think'there has to be something there. They didn'tdate each other, so they must hate each other' But the truth is we really liked each other and respected each other and had a great chemistry"

Asked about reports that he and Hayek didn't get on, Perry is diplomatic.

He protests:"I never said I didn't like her. I like Salma Hayek and we had a really good time making this."

But his beautifal co-star was quoted as saying Perry's character in Fools"is really a jerk - so I say they did a hell of a job with the casting."

Perry admits: "I was taken aback by that slightly, because I thought we got on really well. Then she called me to explain what happened. I wasn't surprised when she told me it was a complete misquote."

In Fools, Perry and Hayek play a couple who marry impulsively after their one-night stand in Las Vegas leaves her pregnant - and really fall in love.

Could it happen to Perry?

"I suppose it could happen to anyone ," he says, "The way my character Alex reacts is the way I'd react. He's trying desperately to do the right thing and makes 12,000 mistakes along the way. But he's always trying to be the good guy." Asked if it's hard to be the good guy with the level of fame he's achieved, he sighs and says:"I just have the frame of mind that's it's not real. That you just sort of ride the roller-coaster and laugh and have fun during it and realise that's not what's real. "If you let it all go to your head, you'll just be a messed up person." Perry is smart enough to know that audiences don't want him to stray too far from his Friends personna.

He says:"I was very aware of that and didn't want my first time out of the gate to be Chandler as a serial killer or something like that. It was a matter of finding the right balance. I wanted to be funny in the movie and Chandler's funny, so I make no apologies.

"But this guy is much more secure than Chandler, much more headstrong."

Fools is a bit of a family affair. John Berry, the star's father, plays his dad in the film - a return favour for all the advice he got when he was a budding actor.

He says: "Dad gave me a lot of help. Everything that can happen to an actor has happened to him."

Perry got his first movie break when he was showing off to some girls in a Los Angeles restaurant.

He recalls:"I was skipping school at this restaurant with three girls, trying to be funny, and I got a note from director William Richert saying he'd like me to be in his next movie."

Two months later, Perry was working opposite River Phoenix in A Night In The Life of Jimmy Reardon.

Real screen success eluded the actor for several more years - until the start of his wonderful Friend-ship."

COURTENEY COX
AGE: 31
CHARACTER: Monica
Discovered in Bruce Springsteen's 1984 video, Dancing In The Dark, Corteney made her movie debut in Ace Ventura:Pet Detective, with Jim Carrey. She played a bitchy TV reporter in Scream and co-stars in a new black comedy, The Commandments, with Aidan Quinn.

MATT LEBLANC
AGE: 29
CHARACTER: Joey
Matt is doing as well as his out of work character when it comes to films. Critics savaged his first film, Ed, but he's expecting more when he teams up with Gary Oldman for a movie version of Lost In Space.

LISA KUDROW
AGE: 32
CHARACTER: Phoebe
Lisa played a dumb blonde in her first film, Mother, before hitting the the big time as Phoebe. After being chosen to play another airhead in Romy & Michelle's High School Reunion with Mira Sorvino, she's afraid of being typecast.

DAVID SCHWIMMER
AGE: 29
CHARACTER: Ross
He was the first Friend to test the movie waters in the flop Pallbearer. Next, he'll direct and star in Stepping In The Dogwater then he'll appear with Ian McKellan as the high scool counsellor of a boy who blackmails an elderly Nazi criminal in The Apt Pupil.

JENNIFER ANISTON
AGE: 27
CHARACTER: Rachel
She got off to a flying start with her movie debut in the hit, She's The One. Now Jennifer's in big demand and future film projects incude Til There Was You, Picture Perfect, How To Date A Congressman and Dream For An Insomniac.

Back to the articles
Back to the main page

This page hosted by Get your own Free Home Page