Matthew Perry Supposedly Stopped ‘Friends’ Scene Where Chandler Would Have Cheated on Monica

Actress Lisa Cash just shared a behind-the-scenes story about how the late Matthew Perry steered the development of his character Chandler Bing on Friends. Cash appeared in the Friends Season 5 finale, “The One in Vegas,” and originally the script called for Chandler to cheat on Monica Geller (Courteney Cox) with Cash’s unnamed character. She told TMZ that Perry didn’t like the idea, telling the writers it wasn’t the right move for Chandler at that point.

At the end of Friends Season 5, Joey (Matt LeBlanc) moves out to Las Vegas to film a movie against Chandler’s advice. Chandler goes out to show his support, and the rest of the gang decides to go along in the two-part season finale. In the first part, “The One in Vegas Part 1,” Chandler and Monica get into a big fight when Chandler learns that Monica had recently met up with her ex-boyfriend for lunch. Cash now tells TMZ that in the original script, she played a room service worker who brought food to Chandler immediately after the fight.

Cash said that in the original script, “Chandler goes up to the hotel room, orders room service, and I bring it up as a hotel worker. We end up talking and laughing and connecting, and Chandler ends up cheating on Monica with my character.” Cash said that the scene shocked the live studio audience, during rehearsal and filming, but ultimately Perry was the one to ask for a change. She said: “I was told that Chandler went to the writers and said the audience would never forgive him for cheating on Monica. Which – he was probably right. That would have changed, possibly, the course of the show and of his character.”

Cash still ended up making an appearance in that episode as the flight attendant dealing with the rowdy Ross and Rachel on a separate flight. As an up-and-coming actress, Cash admitted that she was a little disappointed to lose the chance at a guest-starring role with Perry during the height of the show. However, she said the experience was important for her – especially seeing how a star like Perry collaborated with the writers on his character’s development.

Perry passed away on Saturday, Oct. 28 at the age of 52, leaving fans, friends and colleagues heartbroken. The actor was found unresponsive in his hot tub at his Los Angeles home. Perry’s exact cause of death has not been determined but police said that no drugs or alcohol were found on the premises and “foul play is not suspected.” 

In addition to Friends, Perry leaves behind a huge body of work as an actor and a legacy of helping people overcome addiction. His memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing is available now in print, digital and audiobook formats.