Matthew Perry was a “nightmare” to work with before seeking treatment for various addictions, supermodel Elizabeth Hurley admits. “I have very fond memories of him,” the stunning actress, 57, told Yahoo! Entertainment following the Friends‘ actor’s revelations to Diane Sawyer about working on a 2002 film. “To be honest, it was a nightmare working with him at that time and, as it’s now known, our movie was shut down because of his addiction. We were in a force majeure and had to all sit at home twiddling our thumbs for some time.”
Matthew, 53, and the Austin Powers beauty memorably starred together in the 2003 comedy Serving Sara. But while promoting his book Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir, the Friends star confessed that he’d been difficult on the set of the film. “It was shot in Dallas and I was doing Friends at the same time, so it doubled my workload,” he told Diane during a raw interview aired in October. “And I was flying on a private jet drinking vodka out of a water bottle. I weighed 155 pounds, on my way to 128 pounds. I feel too sorry for that guy, he’s going through too much, and it’s me. And I remember that, and I didn’t understand what was going on. But again, I’m sorry, and I’m so grateful to not be that anymore.”
Hurley recalled that the film’s director, Reginald Hudlin, was “pissed off” when the production shut down. “That was a little tough, but he came back and he was fabulous,” she said, adding that Matthew had to “revoice everything” that had been previously filmed. Still, Elizabeth clearly liked the beloved sitcom star and had compassion for his plight. “It was tough, obviously he was having a tough time, but he was still very charming and a lovely person to work with,” she told the outlet for the November 9 interview. “But you could see he was suffering for sure.”
Matthew’s book, which hit shelves on November 1, contained a number of eyebrow raising admissions, including a propensity to steal pills from open houses, a blind hatred for Keanu Reeves and a secret crush on costar Jennifer Aniston.