Matthew Perry Spills On Passionate Fling With Gwyneth Paltrow Before 'Friends' Fame

Actor Matthew Perry has released his new memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, which explores how his life changed after he hit fame with the "Friends" sitcom. Perry spoke about his brief romantic experience with actress Gwyneth Paltrow the summer before the show aired.

Perry said he knew from the start that 'Friends' would be a hit and that the cast all smelled the money and fame it would bring. He recalled that the show gave them one last summer to enjoy before the fame, during which he went gambling in Vegas, traveled to Mexico, and had his experience with Paltrow.

In his memoir, Perry also revealed that he had crushes on his co-stars, including Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, and Courteney Cox, and that this made his work experience more difficult. He particularly detailed his crush on Aniston, whom he once asked out and received a crushing denial.

Read on to find out more.

In Perry's new memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, the "Serving Sara" actor wrote about how the famous sitcom "Friends" changed his life. Perry played the role of Chandler Bing on the NBC show, which debuted in late 1994.

"Friends" ran for ten seasons and also starred David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc. In his memoir, Perry wrote that he knew the series would be successful from his first read of the script during auditions.

He shared that when the core cast was finally picked and together, they had their first table read, which was a big success. Perry said per Insider, "all the jokes landed," and the actors finished the read to "thunderous applause." He wrote, "Everyone could smell money. The cast could smell fame. This show was going to work, and it was going to change everyone's lives forever."

Perry also recalled that when the show was in its initial advertising stage, the cast would regularly fly off to multiple cities, attending events where the show got reviewed by advertisers and network affiliates. Then finally, the actors had to "wait a summer before the show first aired."

Perry recalled his summer experiences, writing, "I filled that summer with three notable things — gambling in Vegas at the behest of director Jimmy Burrows; a trip to Mexico on my own; and a make-out session in a closet with Gwyneth Paltrow."

He explained more about his time with Paltrow, saying that they met in Williamstown, Massachusetts. According to Insider, Perry wrote, "At some big party, we slipped off into a broom cupboard and made out. We were both still unknown enough that it didn't make it to the tabloids, but with that in mind, it fell to Jimmy Burrows to give me a reality check."

The "17 Again" actor recalled the "Friends" director, James Edward Burrows, sending the cast on a grand trip to Vegas, saying their lives would change forever after the show premiered. Burrows gave the six stars $100 each and told them to have fun.

Perry shared per Insider, "We six new friends got drunk and gambled and wandered through the casinos, just six close strangers on a weekend trip, unknown to anyone, no one asking for autographs or photos, none of us being chased by paparazzi, a million miles from what was coming, which was every single moment of our lives being documented in public for all to see forever."

In the end, the "Fools Rush In" star concluded his story with, "This was the last summer of my life when I could make out at a party with a beautiful young woman called Gwyneth and no one, save Gwyneth and I, cared."

During a previous interview with Diane Sawyer on "Good Morning America," Perry revealed that he once had crushes on his female co-stars from "Friends," who were Aniston, Cox, and Kudrow. The actor shared that the crushes made his work experience on the sitcom even more difficult.

Perry told Sawyer, "How can you not have a crush on Jenny, and Courteney, and Lisa? So that made it kind of difficult to go to work because I had to pretend that I didn't have these crushes." He also wrote about this in his memoir, detailing his feelings for Aniston, in particular.

Perry explained that he was "immediately taken" by Aniston and liked her a lot, but it, unfortunately, never went anywhere. According to a The Times excerpt, the actor once asked the "Murder Mystery" star out, but she declined and said she'd "love to be friends with me."