Inside Matthew Perry's Friendship With Craig Bierko

Matthew Perry revealed in his memoir that Craig Bierko asked him and Hank Azaria which show offer he should accept — “Best Friends” or “Friends Like Us.” (“Friends Like Us” was the original name for “Friends.”) Perry said that he and Azaria both recommended “Friends Like Us,” in which Bierko would be a part of an ensemble. But instead, Bierko went with the other option where he’d have a starring role. Perry didn’t just recommend which part Bierko should take; Marta Kauffman, co-creator of “Friends” later confirmed that he’d even helped Bierko with the audition (via Vanity Fair).

Then Bierko stopped talking to Perry for the first two years of “Friends,” as the show became a cultural phenomenon and “Best Friends” didn’t get picked up. Eventually, Bierko finally reached out and admitted that the relationship had broken down because of Perry’s success. Perry said Bierko told him, “I could not handle that you got rich and famous doing a role that I turned down,” via YouTube. Perry reassured Bierko that even with the fame, “It doesn’t do what we all thought it would. It doesn’t fix anything.”

Post source: The List

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