Without a doubt, many of Friends’ most hilarious quotes came from Chandler Bing, thanks to the brilliant delivery and comedic timing of the late Matthew Perry. It seems it wasn’t just the words on the page that the actor could make funny, either, as it’s been revealed that one specific Season 4 scene provided the opportunity for a hilarious real-life reaction. Knowing that this pantless Chandler moment was, in fact, not written into the script makes it all the funnier — especially given Jennifer Aniston’s priceless expression.
In “The One With the ‘Cuffs,” Chandler finds himself in quite the pickle during a visit to Rachel’s office to see her boss Joanna (Alison La Placa), who he’d been dating. Joanna gets called away, but rather than allowing Chandler to leave with her, she handcuffs him sans pants in her office, forcing him to recruit Rachel to set him free. According to a fan page on Instagram, the below moment with the filing cabinet — and Jennifer Aniston’s response — were completely real. Check out the post:
If you watched that scene back in 1997 (or more recently via Max subscription) and wondered how Matthew Perry could pull off hitting himself in the head with a filing cabinet without flinching, well, it’s because he supposedly really wasn’t expecting that to happen. That looked like a pretty brutal hit, and it must have hurt, given the actor’s facial expression as he clenched his fist in disbelief.
Speaking of disbelief, though, the caption alongside this clip alleges that Rachel’s shock was, in fact, Jennifer Aniston’s actual reaction to Matthew Perry’s unscripted head bang. Rather than respond to Chandler’s plea for help, Rachel’s hands fly up to her face as she seems to watch his face for signs that he’s OK.
The scene was already a classic one, thanks in part to Chandler being in a particularly vulnerable position due to not having his pants. After he cries for Rachel’s colleague Sophie to help him, Jennifer Aniston’s character shoves a tie in his mouth as a gag, which he pointedly spits out to prove its ineffectiveness. However, knowing that the drawer wasn't supposed to pop out and clock Matthew Perry in the head makes it so much better, and I admit I’ve rewatched that clip quite a few times to laugh at both actors’ raw reactions.
Friends fans have gotten some good behind-the-scenes revelations about the beloved sitcom over the years, including the story behind Joey’s classic “Could I BE wearing any more clothes?” moment and why we never saw Ugly Naked Guy’s face. This scene from Season 4 highlights just how funny the six cast members were together and how tragic it is that Matthew Perry’s death means they'll never share a stage all together again.
The 20th anniversary of the Friends finale is approaching, and while Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc reportedly aren’t sure how to move forward without their compatriot, we can continue to enjoy Matthew Perry and all of the actors' performances by streaming the series anew.
