Courteney Cox has reflected on the death of her friend and former co-star Matthew Perry.
The two actors played Monica Geller and Chandler Bing in the much-loved sitcom Friends, with the pair’s on-screen counterparts embarking on a relationship, getting married and starting a family over the course of th show’s 10-year run.
Looking back on her time on Friends, Courteney told CBS’ Sunday Morning: “You didn’t know how special it was. But then when you put this cast together and our incredible writers, it was lightning in a bottle.
“I’m just grateful that I had that opportunity to work with such wonderful people, and to live the life that I have now. That was my family. I mean, we went through everything. Those ten years were everything – they’re my family.”
Turning her attention towards Matthew – who died in October last year at the age of 54 – Courteney said her late co-star “visits me a lot, if we believe in that”.
“I talk to my mum, my dad, Matthew – I feel like there are a lotta people that are, I think, that guide us,” she explained. “I do sense, yeah, I sense Matthew’s around for sure.”
She added that the Canadian-American actor was “probably one of the funniest human beings in the world”, remembering him as a “huge heart” who “obviously struggled”.
“I’m so thankful I got to work so closely with him for so many years,” Courteney added.
Days after Matthew’s death, the five core members of the Friends cast issued a joint statement, saying they were “utterly devastated” by the news.
Each of them later shared more personal individual tributes, with Courteney’s centring around her favourite memory of being on set with her on-screen husband.