Matthew Perry has revealed that he had a major crush on Jennifer Aniston before they began working on Friends together.
The 53-year-old actor made the revelation in his new memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, and said he was “immediately taken” with her before they were cast on the beloved sitcom.
According to Page Six, the Whole Nine Yards actor recalled calling Aniston, 53, to try to impress her after he’d booked two roles.
He writes in his book: “It was clear that this made her think I liked her too much, or in the wrong kind of way.”
Despite his comments not hitting the mark, he asked her out anyway but when she turned him down, Aniston suggested that they just be friends, to which he responded: “[We] can’t be friends!”
After they were cast on Friends and sat down for their first table read, Perry revealed that he still had a crush on her but they “were able to sail right past the past and focus on the fact that we had both gotten the best job Hollywood had to offer”.
The pair starred on Friends from 1994 to 2004
Handout
The actor admitted he continued to have feelings for her as the show became a smash hit, but eventually moved on because of her “deafening lack of interest.”
The 17 Again star writes in his memoir that four years into Friends’ run, he had “gotten over her” and learned how to interact with Aniston, who was dating Brad Pitt at the time, “without it being awkward.”
But that was only the beginning of their friendship as Perry revealed how The Morning Show star confronted him over his substance abuse during their time on Friends in an interview with ABC News’ Diane Sawyer.
He recalled in the chat, which is set to air on Friday, that Aniston told him: “We know you’re drinking.”
Perry added: “Imagine how scary a moment that was. She was the one who reached out the most, you know. I'm really grateful to her for that.”
Perry’s memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing is released on November 1.
