In the wake of actor Matthew Perry's revelations in his forthcoming memoir, "Friends, lovers and that so terrible," Elizabeth Hurley, Perry's co-star in the film "Colgado de Sara" (2002), has opened up about the challenges of working with him during a tumultuous period of addiction.
Hurley, who played alongside Perry during the filming of the comedy, acknowledged the actor's charm and described him as a great person to work with. However, she candidly admitted that the experience was far from easy during Perry's battle with drug addiction. In an interview with Yahoo!, Hurley revealed, "To be honest, it was a nightmare working with him at that moment [during his drug addiction], and, as is now known, our film was canceled for this reason."
Perry's autobiography delves into dark chapters of his life, including a severe addiction to drugs and alcohol that led to a two-week coma and a life-threatening situation after his colon burst. Despite Hurley's "very good memories" of Perry during the filming, she acknowledged the difficulties faced due to his struggles. The film faced a temporary cancellation as Perry entered a two-month rehabilitation period. Subsequently, filming resumed, but previously recorded scenes were deemed unusable and had to be re-filmed.
"It was difficult; obviously, he was going through a tough time, but he was still lovely and a great person to work with. But you could tell that he was suffering," Hurley remarked about the challenging period. "Colgado de Sara" eventually premiered on August 23, 2002, receiving poor critical reviews and failing to recoup its investment at the box office.
Perry has been open about the struggles he faced with addiction, and his memoir discusses the challenges of working on multiple projects simultaneously, including the final seasons of "Friends" and "Colgado de Sara." Perry admitted to doubling his workload and dealing with alcohol-related issues. His honesty extends to acknowledging that the film's failure resulted in a legal dispute, leading him to pay 650,000 euros after being sued.
The actor's battles with alcohol started at the age of 24, with a significant escalation by the age of 34. Throughout his career, Perry underwent rehabilitation more than 15 times, spending over nine million dollars on his journey to recovery.
In his memoirs, Perry reflects on the toll addiction took on his physical health during the recording of "Friends," revealing instances of extreme weight fluctuation and substance abuse. He admits that there were times he remained sober, such as during the recording of the ninth season in 2001, earning him an Emmy nomination. However, Perry's struggles with addiction persisted, highlighting the progressive nature of the disease.
