Matthew Perry to Remove Keanu Reeves Comments From Future Editions of His Memoir
Last fall, Matthew Perry made a splash when he seemingly revealed public death wishes against Keanu Reeves in his memoir. In it, the Friends alumnus wondered why Reeves was still alive when "original thinkers" such as River Phoenix and Heath Ledger have passed on. Now, Perry says he's removing any mention of Reeves from future editions of his memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.
"I said a stupid thing. It was a mean thing to do," Perry said in attendance at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books on Saturday (via Variety). "I pulled his name because I live on the same street. I've apologized publicly to him. Any future versions of the book will not have his name in it."
He then went on to reveal he has yet to personally apologize to Reeves, saying he will should he ever bump into the actor.
What did Matthew Perry say about Keanu Reeves?
During an expanded remembrance about his friendship with Phoenix, Perry wondered why Reeves still "walks among us."
"The list of geniuses who were ahead of their time is too long to detail here – suffice to say, near the top of any such list should be my costar in A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon, River Phoenix," Perry wrote in his book.
He added, "River was a beautiful man, inside and out – too beautiful for this world, it turned out. It always seems to be the really talented guys who go down. Why is it that the original thinkers like River Phoenix and Heath Ledger die, but Keanu Reeves still walks among us? River was a better actor than me; I was funnier. But I certainly held my own in our scenes – no small feat, when I look back decades later."
Shortly after the passage surfaced online, Perry issued a quick statement admitting he shouldn't have used the actor's name. "I'm actually a big fan of Keanu," Perry said last October. "I just chose a random name, my mistake. I apologize. I should have used my own name instead."
