Matthew Perry has disappointing news for “Friends” fans.
In an interview with Variety published online on Monday, the actor and playwright revealed that he has no interest in taking part in a potential revival of the iconic comedy series.
“If anybody asks me, I’m gonna say no,” he told the trade publication.
Despite the anticipated resurgence of other beloved sitcoms including “Roseanne” and “Will & Grace,” Matthew said that he is truly haunted with fears that a “Friends” version wouldn’t live up to expectations.
“I have this recurring nightmare – I’m not kidding about this. When I’m asleep, I have this nightmare that we do ‘Friends’ again and nobody cares,” he admitted. “We do a whole series, we come back, and nobody cares about it.”
The NBC classic has enjoyed continued success on syndication and streaming platforms 13 years after going off the air, but Matthew reportedly just isn’t willing to risk the “Friends” legacy.
“We ended on such a high. We can’t beat it. Why would we go and do it again?” he told the mag.
That doesn’t mean he’s not up for another television stint, however. According to Variety, with his CBS series “The Odd Couple” now canceled after three seasons Matthew is ready to tackle TV again – but this time, a bit differently.
“In the second half of my life, I don’t want to do your standard sitcom television. I want to do edgier, darker, dramatic stuff,” he said.
“In my head I have this TV project that I’d write. That’s what the fantasy for me is, next. Somewhere on television. But my brain just thinks of darker s*** than what is expected on a four-camera comedy, or at least on the ones that are on TV now,” he continued.
The 47-year-old has already gotten practice crafting his own material with the original stage production “The End of Longing,” now playing off-Broadway after a 2016 run on London’s West End.
Matthew told Variety that he modeled his character, Jack, as an “exaggerated form” of himself, but revealed how the opportunity has helped separate him from his “Friends” alter ego.
“People still see me as Chandler, and this is not that,” he said.
— Erin Biglow