Matthew Perry says this actor would play a younger him if his memoir is ever turned into a movie: 'He's done it once' - Yahoo Entertainment

Matthew Perry has already heard from a mates of his Friends co-stars astir his buzzy caller book, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir, which arrived successful bookstores Tuesday. In it, helium describes years of struggling with an addiction to drugs and alcohol.

"Well, the publication has been retired for a day," Perry deadpanned erstwhile helium was asked astir their responses Wednesday during a livestream from the Town Hall successful New York City. "So I person heard from a mates of them, which is precise nice, and I'm definite I'll perceive from everybody. But that's the astonishing happening astir what’s going connected with this book. It's touching the hearts of everybody."

Perry aboriginal said thousands of radical person already travel up to him, convinced that they tin halt utilizing substances due to the fact that helium has. He's said that he's present 18 months sober. During the livestream, helium noted that helium receives assistance daily.

He besides answered a question astir who would play him if the publication is ever adapted into a movie.

The younger mentation of Perry would beryllium played by nary different than his co-star successful the 2009 body-swapping movie 17 Again.

"Well, Zac Efron did it once," helium said.

Perry said helium would instrumentality implicit the relation later.

"I would play maine aft the coma and aft that horrible night, 5 months successful the hospital, past I would instrumentality implicit the role, I guess," helium said, referring to 1 of the scarier stories that person emerged from the book.

In 2018, Perry spent 5 months successful the infirmary recovering aft his colon burst from opioid abuse. He was successful a coma and connected beingness enactment for 2 weeks. He had 14 surgeries. He besides had to usage a colostomy container for 9 months, which near him "covered successful my ain s***," helium estimated 50 to 60 times.

"The doctors told my household that I had a 2 percent accidental to live," Perry told People. "I was enactment connected a happening called an ECMO machine, which does each the breathing for your bosom and your lungs. And that's called a Hail Mary. No 1 survives that."

Still, helium admitted to having called his cause trader when helium got home.

In an interrogation with ABC's Diane Sawyer, Perry besides said that, astatine 1 point, helium was drinking vodka by the quart and taking 55 Vicodin a day. He would get the second by faking backmost injuries and migraine headaches — plus, helium "had 8 doctors going astatine the aforesaid time" — oregon simply go to unfastened houses and rummage done medicine cabinets.

"I deliberation they thought 'Oh, there's nary mode that Chandler stole from us,'" Perry said.

In all, Perry has said he's spent $9 cardinal to sober up, including countless stays successful rehab and detox facilities. At 1 of them, a attraction halfway successful Switzerland, wherever helium was inactive taking pills, his bosom stopped beating for 5 minutes.

Looking backmost connected each he's been through, Perry told Sawyer that he's grateful for his Friends co-stars, particularly Jennifer Aniston. She's the 1 who "reached retired the most" and adjacent confronted him astir his problem.

Perry has spoken, too, astir his idiosyncratic relationships implicit the years, including however he and Valerie Bertinelli once made retired beside her then-husband, Eddie Van Halen, erstwhile helium was passed out, and however helium mislaid his virginity to Tricia Leigh Fisher, half-sister of the precocious Carrie Fisher, aft having thought for years that helium was impotent.

He besides lamented the nonaccomplishment of River Phoenix, his co-star successful A Night successful the Life of Jimmy Reardon, who died successful 1993. "It ever seems to beryllium the truly talented guys who spell down," helium wrote. "Why is it that the archetypal thinkers similar River Phoenix and Heath Ledger die, but Keanu Reeves inactive walks among us?"

He's apologized for the notation to Reeves since the excerpt surfaced, saying that helium "chose a random name."

If you oregon idiosyncratic you cognize is struggling with addiction, interaction Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Treatment Referral Helpline astatine 800-662-HELP (4357).