Matthew Perry has revealed a rejected idea he pitched to Friends bosses involving guest star Sean Penn.
The Hollywood A-lister made a guest appearance in season eight’s The One With The Halloween Party, where he became a love interest for Phoebe Buffay after dating her twin sister Ursula.
The fancy dress party also saw Matthew’s character Chandler dressed as a giant pink bunny, which gave the actor inspiration for a post-credits scene involving Sean.
In his new memoir Friends, Lovers And The Big Terrible Thing, Matthew recalled pitching a scene to bosses that would have seen the stars break the fourth wall by appearing out of character.
“The closest we ever got [to breaking the fourth wall] was with Sean,” he wrote. “I had pitched a tag (the brief end scene after the main story has landed) that had me backstage in the bunny rabbit suit.
″‘Well, I’ve been really giving this a lot of thought. And I think you’re a good person to talk to about this’,” he would have said.
“I’m smoking as I say this, and as I put the cigarette out with my huge bunny foot, I say: ‘I’ve been looking to transition myself into dramatic work.’”
The scene would have ended with Sean pausing before wishing Matthew “good luck”.
“Even someone as powerful as Sean Penn and me looking ridiculous in a huge pink bunny costume could not get the go-ahead to break the fourth wall [which] stayed in place. Right where it should be,” Matthew added.
In his memoir – which was finally released earlier this week – Matthew has written candidly about his 10 years on Friends, as well as his struggles with addiction and substance abuse throughout his life.
He has also spoken out about his romantic life, disclosing why he ended his short-lived romance with Julia Roberts at the height of Friends’ success, and sharing details of a rather disastrous date with Cameron Diaz.
In a recent interview with Nightline to promote the book, he also shared that he almost missed out on Friends’ reunion special last year after having to undergo emergency dental surgery.