By Jamie Ruby

Most people probably recognize Matthew Perry from his roles as Chandler Bing on the popular series Friends. However, since then, Perry has starred in other television series, such as Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and Mr. Sunshine, which he also helped create and wrote for, and also had a recurring role in the series The Good Wife.

Perry once again stars in his own sitcom: Go On, coming to NBC. Perry recently participated in a conference call with the digital media to talk about his new series, and SciFi Vision took part.

NBC conference call with Matthew Perry
October 8, 2012

QUESTION: What drew you to Go On? Because you’ve done a couple now and what was it about this one that was special that you thought, “Hey, this might be the one I’ve been looking for?”

MATTHEW PERRY: I would say it was just written really well. I was looking to do a drama and had met all the networks and studios - in the development season - about finding a drama and was sent this. And it’s obviously a comedy and I could tell by the amount of pages that it was a comedy and I called my manager and said, “Why did you send me this?” And he said, “Just read it.” And I realized that it had all of the elements that I was looking for. It was definitely funny, it had a lot of funny characters in it. And also it posed a big dramatic challenge, too. Plus I had known Scott Silveri for - he was on Friends for eight years and he’d written a really great script, so I was in.

QUESTION: After Friends ended there was always the curse that no one could get on a hit show afterwards and while there was still hits and misses there, everyone seems now to be right in the groove. Everyone seems to have hit their stride now. Did it take a while for everybody to find the right vehicle or [were] people just expecting something different?

MATTHEW PERRY: Yes, I never really paid any attention to when - I think that was just reporters searching for a story, because…the six of us are six of the luckiest people on the face of the planet. So to suggest that there’s some curse, I just never really listened to it. But I guess it’s good now that they’re not saying that anymore. Friends was a magical thing. No one’s going to ever have anything like that again and you try to just search for good projects.

For me, I did Studio 60, which everybody thought was going to be amazing and it was pretty good but it didn’t work. And then I took my hand at trying to write something and try to create a show myself, which was Mr. Sunshine, which worked to a certain degree creatively but audiences didn’t really follow it. And then I learned that there was somebody else that could create a show for me better than me. And that’s what happened with Go On.

QUESTION: It’s interesting to hear you say that you were looking for a drama initially because the base situation here is actually quite sad. It’s a guy who’s lost his wife; he’s surrounded by these people who have all gone through some very serious things to get to where they are. How do you guys walk that line between a situation that is very, at its heart, serious and yet you are finding ways to make it funny? How do you walk the line?

MATTHEW PERRY: Yes, well, that’s the very tonal challenge of this show and nobody knew whether it was going to work. Nobody knew really whether people were going to laugh at these sad situations. But that’s Scott in the pilot, just did that tone thing perfectly so there was a lot of funny things but at the base of it is a very sad story. And then I think it was the third episode when we did a comedic run about - I had said that it’s hard to tell people that my wife has passed away, I should just get vanity plates that say it and then everybody starts pitching on what those vanity plates could say. You know, like “dead wife” or “no mo wife” and things like that.

And that was a really risky scene and people loved it. So then we knew that audiences were going to laugh at this stuff

QUESTION: You mentioned dark themes and how to deal with that lightly. How do you deal with tough times in your life as far [as] being a comedian, do you pull from that when you’re working on comedy?

MATTHEW PERRY: Oh sure. Yes, you pull from everything. I think to be a comedian or somebody who’s trying to be funny, you have to have some darkness behind it. So, I think all comedians are able to draw on that and that’s why some comedians who do dramatic work can do some of the best dramatic work. Like Robin Williams and a bunch of other - Michael Keaton and Tom Hanks and all of that stuff. So in this show I certainly draw on my past and it helps.

QUESTION: I really enjoyed the scenes you had with Christine Woods as the late wife in last week’s show and I’m curious what you feel she was able to bring out in Ryan that maybe could change your perception of the guy or...

MATTHEW PERRY: Well, I thought it was really interesting to show Janie. You see what this guy has lost. And then casting that part was very, very difficult because you need to show somebody of weight, somebody who’s really good and we were really luck that Christine Woods came in to do it and these scenes are some of my favorite scenes that we’ve done so far because I get to play a whole different level in those scenes. So that character obviously has to be used very sparingly but I’m glad that that’s part of the show.

QUESTION: Can you tell us a little bit more about your participation with the National Association of Drug Court Professionals. What is exactly what you do?

MATTHEW PERRY: Sure. That is Drug Court and I’m - I guess the thing that I’m labeled is an ambassador for them and it’s a group of judges across the country that take first-time nonviolent drug offenders and put them into treatment programs instead of just throwing them into jail.

And I’m really proud to be a part of that whole thing because it’s a no-brainer. Everybody agrees that it’s a good thing. It’s a bipartisan thing, republicans and democrats both are behind it. And it’s good because it just doesn’t throw these drug addicts away, it puts them into a treatment facility where they can become valuable members of society instead of just putting them in prison.

QUESTION: You’ve said in the past that you have a tendency to avert a personal thing and to go with the joke whenever you can instead. And that really seems to be Ryan’s characteristic, too. That’s the humor of putting him into a therapy group when he’s the last guy who wants to talk seriously. Tell me about that trait. Is that still a trait or yours and what do you find interesting about that when Ryan has that trait?

MATTHEW PERRY: Well, I don’t that that is a current trait of mine, it certainly used to be. It was a - one of the tenets of Chandler was that given any kind of serious situation, he will divert it by trying to make it a joke. And it makes for a very good character in a sitcom because it’s a built-in excuse for someone to be funny.

Yes, Ryan King, my character in Go On, in the pilot is certainly like that but by episode three or four, for the most part he has realized that he needs this group of people in spite of himself. So he’s less apt to make fun of it now and more apt to take part in it. But he’s a character just like myself that’s a little older and - or a lot older - and is less in need of doing that.

QUESTION: At the beginning of the call we were told about the guest stars that are coming, Bob Costas, Chris Bosh, Lauren Graham and there was one other. Can you talk about what they’re going to do on the show?

MATTHEW PERRY: Sure. There’s an episode coming up that Bob Costas and Rich Eisen are both in. It’s just a really fun episode where Bob Costas calls my character, Ryan King, and says that he really is a fan of the show and wants to give me a tryout for a national TV job.

And Rich Eisen is a character who, Rich Eisen’s playing himself, obviously, and Bob Costas is playing himself. But Rich Eisen is sort of a competitor and it’ll be good - he’ll be back as an adversary. And I do get my shot with Bob Costas and you can imagine, given the fact that it’s a comedy, that it does not go that well. And Chris Bosh has a little cameo on the show. Misty May-Treanor’s coming on and it’s just really fun because we get to have these athletes come on. And for the - yes, it’s across the board, they’ve all been great, which make me think that acting is easy and it makes me sad.

QUESTION: Could you talk a little bit about your co-stars, the cast that you’re surrounded with each episode?

MATTHEW PERRY: Yes. Scott Silveri panicked about a month before we started the show and was like, “This is a show about a guy who lost his wife. We have to have as many funny people surrounding him as possible.” And that panic led to the casting of Sarah Baker, who’s hilarious, and Brett Gelman, who’s just really, really funny. Laura Benanti is hilarious. And so it’s my job if I’m looking to do a TV show to try to surround myself with the funniest people possible and it was Scott’s job to make that happen as well. So John Cho playing my boss, Alison Miller playing my assistant. It’s a really great - everywhere you look is a funny, smart, talented, driven person, which makes the show even better.

QUESTION: Your dynamic with John Cho on the show is so great and he said before in interviews that you’re his comedic hero, especially with Chandler and Friends. What are your thoughts on that and working with him in general?

MATTHEW PERRY: Well, I love working with John. We were very lucky to get him. He had been hired in the pilot as a guest star and then we asked him to be a regular and we were very fortunate that he said yes.

As for me being his comedic hero, he has mentioned that to me in the past and all that does is make me feel old.

QUESTION: You have also great comedic timing when it comes to working with Julie White. Can you talk about working with her?

MATTHEW PERRY: Julie White was the first person hired. She was even hired before I was, so she was the first person on board and I knew that they were going for great people because she’s this wonderful Broadway actress and she is just terrific. She plays a role that could be dismissed as being not very likable because she’s very angry and her character can be mean from time to time but you still pull for her because you know that she’s had this loss in her life. So she is just yet another incredibly talented person in all of those grief therapy scenes. It’s great to have her.

QUESTION: When you were growing up, when did you first realize that you were funny?

MATTHEW PERRY: Oh. Well, I would always be the kid that got in trouble in school, that’s for sure, for joking around and I guess it was seventh grade I got hired - not hired, I got put in a play in school in Ottawa, Canada. (Greg Simpson) was the head theatre guy and he cast me in a role in that and it was funny and I felt so good to get laughs. So it was probably then, seventh grade in Ottawa.

QUESTION: So basically, Ryan is a sportscaster. Why did the show decide to go with that franchise or that kind of profession for him? Was it a certain type of person you were looking for to portray that would be completely opposed to therapy or how did that go down?

MATTHEW PERRY: Scott Silveri, who wrote the pilot - and this answer is filled with stereotypes so I apologize in advance. But, I think because the show is so touchy-feely and it so is dealing with emotions and people talking about their problems that Scott wanted to go unapologetically male with the sports part of it so that, you know, he wanted guys to watch it too. And I think it lends itself to a smart-alecky kind of guy on the radio who is not prepared to be talking his feelings and emotions all the time. So I think the cliché answer is it my character being in sports gives something for everyone to enjoy on the show.

QUESTION: I was just wondering, what are your three favorite classic TV shows?

MATTHEW PERRY: My three favorite classic TV shows? Okay. Well, The Dick Van Dyke Show - I would say The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Honeymooners, and Lost.

QUESTION: What do you look for in a character in order to play it? And what types draw you to play this character?

MATTHEW PERRY: Well, you look for people that you can relate to, that you can shake hands with and understand. I have a tendency to try to find characters that are sort of bent or broken and on a path to become better people, and Ryan King certainly has those traits. He’s a guy who I think if this tragic thing had not happened to him, he would’ve lived his life as a rather unexplored life. But this thing happened to him so he reluctantly gets on this path to be a better person.

QUESTION: Good. Now you’re also continuing your (unintelligible) in The Good Wife. Is it interesting balancing these two very different types of role?

MATTHEW PERRY: Yes, I really love doing The Good Wife, I hope that I get to come back and do more. It’s really fun to play a guy who is just so evil. And I’ve been looking to do, you know, I like to do both. I like to do comedy and drama and I got both jobs on the exact same day. I got Go On and The Good Wife both on the same day and it was a great day. So, I’m really happy with how Go On is going and I hope to get to do some more Good Wife in the future too.

QUESTION: At this point in your career you’ve played so many characters in both TV shows and movies, which has been your favorite to play?

MATTHEW PERRY: Oh, I loved playing Chandler. I grew up playing that part. I would saying probably in all honesty it’s Chandler and this character that I’m playing now, the character of Ryan King. It’s a very deep, enriching character to play because he’s going through so much and he’s also being very funny about it. So, I guess I would say Chandler and Ryan King.

QUESTION: I liken Ryan to an evolved Chandler, so it’s interesting that you made those comments. The charters that’s you’ve played have had such a broad appeal and whether it’s been a good guy or a bad guy, you just happen to be that guy that everybody loves to watch. So what is it you think is the key to securing that amazing connection with your audience and makes you so identifiable?

MATTHEW PERRY: Oh, I don’t know. I think it’s a wearing-his-heart-on-his-sleeve kind of people that I’ve played a lot and I think people can relate to that journey, maybe not that openness about it but that journey. I like to play people that say things that normally people don’t say that they’re feeling or thinking but that they wouldn’t say. And I think that both Chandler and Ryan King have that aspect.

But I do agree with you, when I read Go On I sort of - it was almost like this is Chandler ten years later if something really bad had happened to him. And hopefully both characters look the same, except one looks a little bit older.

QUESTION: You got past directorial experience with Scrubs and stuff. Would you like to get behind the camera for an episode of Go On and if so, is there any chance of that actually happening?

MATTHEW PERRY: Yes, actually it’s funny. We just talked about that the other day. If we’re fortunate enough to do a second season I think that I’ll probably end up doing that. It’s a very, very busy time already and directing is pretty all-encompassing. But it is certainly something that I think would be interesting to do somewhere down the line.

QUESTION: So far, Go On has done an outstanding job introducing your character to the audience. We’ve seen his work life, his personal life and the pain he’s suffering through as he continues to mourn the loss of his wife. Are there any episodes coming up that [delve] further into the [losses] other members of the transitions group are going through, such as Owen, Yolanda, or Mr. K. and possibly flashbacks?

MATTHEW PERRY: Yes, throughout the life of the show we’ll definitely find out all of these things. We have an episode where we deal pretty heavily with Owen and what he’s going through coming up in a couple of weeks. So the longer the show goes on, the more we can expand on those characters and find out exactly. I too am very curious as to what Mr. K.’s deal is and what he’s doing in there. So I think it just promises to be even deeper and more fun the more we get to explore these other characters and why they’re there.

QUESTION: Who were some of your favorite actors growing up?

MATTHEW PERRY: My favorite actor is Michael Keaton. Certainly growing up he - I think in the movie Night Shift, he did something brand new that I hadn’t seen before that we all steal from now. And then I think it was in 1987 he did the movie Clean and Sober and Beetlejuice in the same year and that was when I said. “Wow, that’s what I want to do.” So I think I’d have to say Michael Keaton.

QUESTION: You talked earlier about the guest stars that you’ve had on the show, is there a work icon that you would love to have on the show eventually?

MATTHEW PERRY: Well, we had asked Wayne Gretzky, I’d love to have on the show at some point. We’ve talked to David Beckham and he said that he would do it, so that was very exciting. My favorite athlete of all time I was lucky enough to have on Mr. Sunshine, but maybe we can have him come back on Go On too, who is Jimmy Connors. So I guess my hope is that we get Jimmy Connors to come back and work with me again, which would be a dream come true.

QUESTION: Hi, they also mentioned at the top of the call Lauren Graham and I wondered if you could talk a little bit about the role.

MATTHEW PERRY: Yes, my friend Lauren Graham agreed to come on the show, which we were really excited about and she plays a character named Amy who was an old college buddy of mine who there was some sparks back in college but then my character got married. And now that things have changed in his life, Amy, Lauren Graham, comes back and it was really fun to work with her again and she’s just so good. So there were some sparks there, which is the first time that Ryan has had any kind of feeling like that in a long, long time. So it was really interesting.

QUESTION: You mentioned you got The Good Wife and Go On at the same time, that’s such an amazing thing. I know as an actor you go through ups and downs as far as career wise and personal wise. Can you talk about enjoying the ups and not getting to down about the downs in a career that can be so fluctuating?

MATTHEW PERRY: Oh, yes. Yes, that really would be the key, would be to enjoy the ups and not have the downs get you down. I think I’ve done a pretty good job about that in my career. But I’m a really lucky guy so, I had the biggest up, which is being on Friends for ten years. So all the downs don’t seem as down after that happens to you. So I’ve just been very, very fortunate, and the key to all of it is to make sure that acting is not the only thing you’ve got going on in your life, so you don’t identify solely with the ups and downs of that.

QUESTION: I just wanted to know what your opinion is of Seth MacFarlane, who made fun on your show by calling it “Goon” instead of “Go On” the other day on SNL.

MATTHEW PERRY: Yes, he’s hilarious and I didn’t actually think he was making fun of the show, he was more making fun of the guy he was playing. You know, it’s Seth MacFarlane, so if he doesn’t like something, you’re really going to know it. And so I was nervous when I heard that he mentioned the show but quite relieved when I saw what the joke was.

QUESTION: You mentioned when you were talking about Lauren Graham that he’s going to have sparks with someone for the first time in a very long time. So are we going to see Ryan go through the various phases of his grief and maybe eventually get a new love interest or will the show just stick with a limbo as in now and keep making fun of many (unintelligible) situations he finds himself in due to his loss and this new group of friends?

MATTHEW PERRY: Yes, that’s the interesting thing about this show is we couldn’t pursue any potential romances or any of that for a while because of the situation he’s in. But, just like any person, he’s going to grow and move forward and part of that will be what’s now much-delayed but some dating and some getting himself out there stuff. We’re talking about a story right now where he really throws himself out there into the single scene and it’s pretty funny what’s coming up about it.

So, yes, I think just like any other human being, he’s going to evolve and move forward and start to get into that world for sure. And Lauren Graham is - couldn’t ask for a better person to come on the show and jumpstart that.

QUESTION: I was just wondering if there was anyone that’s similar to their character at all.

MATTHEW PERRY: Oh, I think what happens on all great shows is the writers end up writing to the actors who are playing the part. So the characters are becoming more and more like the actors that play them. That’s certainly what happened on Friends and I think that’s the direction they’re leaning in here. So I’m pretty similar to my guy. Laura Benanti is pretty similar to her character. I’d like to say that Brett Gelman is similar to Mr. K. but I don’t know if any human being on the face of the planet is similar to Mr. K.

QUESTION: Is the actual craft of making sitcom comedy - do you notice a difference from the 90s with Friends to today either in terms of what the audience expects or how you do it from a technological perspective? Is it different at all?

MATTHEW PERRY: So, are you talking about the difference between four-camera and one-camera?

QUESTION: Yes, and the difference in what makes people laugh, what an audience expects. Has the essence of that changed at all? Has the audience changed and do you notice that they approach it differently?

MATTHEW PERRY: Yes. When you’re doing a four-camera show it’s like doing a different one-act play every week so you’re playing to the back seat in the house. So I think it breeds a slightly bigger performance than when you’re doing one-camera. I think you can afford to tone it down a little bit, be a little bit more real when you’re doing a one-camera show because you’re not playing to a live audience.

And in terms of comedy, I still think it’s whatever’s funny is funny and people are going to laugh at it. But in terms of performance I think the not-so-new craze anymore of doing one camera comedies. I think it just breeds a slightly more realistic performance. Like, if you’re angry on a sitcom, you’re sort of winking and go, “Hey everybody, watch me be angry, you’re going to enjoy this.” And on a one-camera show, you’re just playing angry. If that makes sense.

QUESTION: Friends is coming out on Blu-Ray, did you do anything special for that?

MATTHEW PERRY: I did not do anything special for that, no.

QUESTION: You’ve had such a great career, you know, and great films, great movies, great everything. What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned about this whole thing? If you went up to the pearly gates and they say, “Well, what did you learn about all that work you were doing,” what would you say was the biggest lesson?

MATTHEW PERRY: I think I would say that to look at it as it’s fun and an interesting challenge and a job and not something to make your entire life and your entire identity about. I think that’s the thing that I’ve learned the most. But parcel of that is to just really have fun doing what you’re doing, which I certainly am doing on Go On.

QUESTION: One thing that I kept thinking is kind of cool in the new show that you obviously couldn’t do much of in Friends is you’re able to do a certain amount of on-location shooting. How do you think that that makes the show more interesting to do?

MATTHEW PERRY: Well, it doesn’t seem that different to me. I mean, if you ask ten people where Friends was shot, I think five of them would say New York, and of course we shot all of it at Warner Brothers. I guess it makes the show a little bit more full, a little bit more full canvas of a show when you can go out and shoot things on location.

So the fact that on Go On we can go off and do some of those scenes and show the exterior of where the rec center is and we shot a little bit of the Staples Center, which was obviously really fun for me because I’m a fan of that place. And I think visually it keeps things more interesting.

QUESTION: You have done both comedy and dramas and do you have a preference between the two and which do you find to be more challenging?

MATTHEW PERRY: I don’t really have a preference between the two. I love doing both. I think doing a comedy is potentially more challenging because you’re forced to do a joke a page and you’re forced to be funny at a certain rate. And I’m sure that will surprise most people because most people would think that I would say drama is harder because I have so much experience in comedy. But they both pose their challenges. But I actually think doing a comedy is harder than doing a drama.