Did we almost have a real-life Chandler and Rachel romance? According to Matthew Perry, Jennifer Aniston turned him down before ‘Friends‘ and he still had feelings for her during the run of the 1990s comedy.
Years before the pop-culture phenomenon, ‘Friends‘ started airing, Perry had sparks ignited for Aniston, which were blown down by the actress who ‘just wanted to be friends.’ So, what exactly happened between the stars?
Read More: “I Didn’t Know How To Stop”: Matthew Perry Recalls Being An Alcohol Addict Before ‘Friends’
Was A Real-Life Chandler-Rachel Romance Possible?
In the long-running series, the 53-year-old actor played Chandler Bing, who marries Monica Gellar (Courteney Cox), while Jennifer played Rachel Green, a fashionista. However, Matthew claimed that before being hired for the David Crane and Marta Kauffman-produced series, he had met the star of ‘The Morning Show‘ and asked her out on a date.
The actor claimed he had seen Jennifer three years before the premiere of ‘Friends‘ and had been “immediately taken by her.” Well, we don’t blame him. Jennifer Aniston in the 90s was dreamy! She is quite the glam queen now also, all these decades later.
Read More: Which episode of FRIENDS is most watched on Tv?
What Did Matthew Say About About Being Shot Down?
“I was immediately taken by her (how could I not be?) and liked her, and I got the sense she was intrigued too – maybe it was going to be something” he said.
An overjoyed Matthew claimed he told Jennifer about her success in landing a role in a comedy because she was “the first person I wanted to tell this to,” but added it was a “poor decision.”
Perry claimed that when he contacted her, he could “feel ice forming through the phone” in an excerpt from his memoir ‘Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing‘ which was published in The Times. He wrote, “Looking back, it was clear that this made her think I liked her too much or in the wrong kind of way… and I only compounded the error by then asking her out.”
He added, “She declined (which made it very difficult to actually go out with her), but said that she’d love to be friends with me, and I compounded the compound by blurting, ‘We can’t be friends!‘”
From Almost Lovers To Co-Stars
When they both got roles, Matthew admitted he still had emotions for the ‘Marley And Me‘ star. He confessed, “Fairly early in the making of Friends I realised that I was still crushing badly on Jennifer Aniston. Our hellos and goodbyes became awkward. And then I’d ask myself, how long can I look at her? Is 3 seconds too long? But that shadow disappeared in the hot glow of the show. (That, and her deafening lack of interest.)“
What Was Their Relationship On-Screen?
On screen, Matthew Perry played the role of Chandler Bing, a hilarious guy who works in “statistical analysis and data reconfiguration.” (Yes! Not a Transponster!). Jennifer Aniston plays a fashionista – Rachel Green. They both, later on, get together with the Geller siblings – Monica Geller (Played by Courteney Cox) and Ross Geller (David Schwimmer). There are some hilarious and some really sweet scenes between both the actors on screen too, including one in season one where Chandler sees her naked, and another where they hook up once, long before the present time of the show.
Who Else Had A Crush On Jennifer Aniston?
The actor who played Ross Geller in Friends, David Schwimmer, also acknowledged having a “big crush” on Jennifer. David revealed: ‘‘The first season I had a major crush on Jen and at some point we were both crushing on each other. But it was like two ships passing because one of us was always in a relationship and we never crossed that boundary. We always respected that.”
Well, that seems like two romances we missed out on. David and Jennifer had undeniable chemistry on-screen and every bit of their on-again-off-again relationship was hilarious and beautiful to watch. And we’re glad they finally settled down together.
Read More: 7 popular stars that appeared on FRIENDS
