ENTERTAINMENT
Chandler was meant to cheat on Monica in Friends - until Matthew Perry intervened
The actor Lisa Cash has revealed to TMZ that her character was supposed to hook up with Chandler while he was with Monica, but Perry had the scene axed.
Matthew Perry, who died late last month at the age of 54, is best remembered by TV lovers across the globe for his role as Chandler Bing in the hit sitcom Friends, which ran for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004. Perry starred on the NBC show alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer.
One of TV’s most popular characters
In 2002, his performance as Chandler earned him an Emmy nomination as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, but that’s not the only recognition he got. After all, his character established itself as a firm favourite among Friends aficionados - and as one of the most iconic in TV history.
That status is not only down to Perry’s portrayal of Chandler’s wise-cracking personality, but also owes much to the romance that blossoms between Bing and Monica Geller, played by Cox.
However, while Chandler and Monica have gone down as one of TV’s best-loved and happiest couples, Friends scriptwriters had planned for a grim twist in their story that would have been a crushing blow to fans of the show: infidelity. Fortunately, Perry intervened to prevent this from happening.
Perry steps in after rehearsing cheating scene
Lisa Cash, an actor who appeared as an extra on the season five episode “The One in Vegas: Part 1″ has told an interview with entertainment news outlet TMZ that her role on the show was initially supposed to be far more significant.
According to Cash, the original script for the episode included a scene where, after Chandler and Monica have a major bust-up, he cheats on Monica with Cash’s character, a hotel worker who brings him room service.
But after rehearsing the scene, Cash reveals, Perry went to Friends scriptwriters and successfully petitioned them to get rid of it. She adds that, while a more prominent role would have been hugely beneficial to her career, she thinks the right decision was made.
Chandler-Monica relationship not planned
In the 2021 documentary Friends: The Reunion, the sitcom’s co-creator, David Crane, revealed that the showrunners had not intended to have Chandler and Monica become a couple. However, after the pair slept together in London in season four, the audience’s enthusiastic reaction persuaded writers to bring the characters together into a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship.
Chandler and Monica later got engaged in season six, before marrying in season seven and adopting new-born twins in season 10′s series finale.