Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer reportedly declined to take part in Netflix’s three-part series, due out October 27. The account comes from an anonymous source cited by Page Six.
Argentina’s La Nación reported that the five Friends co-stars will not appear in The One About Matthew Perry. The outlet cited a source close to the cast who told Page Six that the actors were approached and chose not to participate. Neither the actors nor Netflix have publicly explained the decision.
The same source said Aniston did not want to revisit the loss on camera or make her grief public. That explanation is also attributed anonymously and has not been confirmed by the actress. La Nación noted that the Friends cast spoke publicly after Perry’s death. Aniston told Vanity Fair that the group had tried to help him through his long struggle with addiction and said she was relieved he was no longer suffering.
Netflix has set the three-part series’ premiere for October 27, one day before the third anniversary of Perry’s death. The company says the series, directed by Mary Robertson, will tell the actor’s story through memories from his sister Mia Perry Bowick, friends and colleagues. It will include previously unreleased photos and videos from the family archive. Netflix’s official description does not say why the Friends cast members are absent.