“It was pure jealousy”: FRIENDS Star Matthew Perry Regrets Smacking Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau
American-Canadian actor Matthew Perry is best known for his portrayal of Chandler Bing in the television sitcom FRIENDS which was run for ten seasons from 1994 to 2004. He made his screen debut in the 1988 coming-of-age drama film A Day in the Life of Jimmy Reardon.
Matthew Perry almost lost his role in FRIENDS due to his commitment to the sitcom pilot LAX2194. He was the youngest cast member of FRIENDS at the age of 24. His parents had divorced before his first birthday and since his mother was secretary to the former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, it gave him the privilege to be schoolmates with present Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. However, there is a particular incident that Perry is not proud of.
Matthew Perry Beat Up President Justin Trudeau
After her divorce from actor and model John Bennett Perry, Matthew Perry‘s mother Suzanne Marie Morrison married Canadian broadcast journalist Keith Morrison. The West Wing actor was raised by his mother in Ottawa, Ontario where he went to the same school (Rockcliffe Park Public School) as his mother’s boss’s son Justin Trudeau.
Matthew Perry had no recollection of the unfortunate incident that he was part of when he crossed paths with Mr. Trudeau. During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2017, he recounted the incident, saying:
“I was a couple of years ahead of him. My friend Chris Murray who was also in the fifth grade in Canada reminded me we actually beat up Justin Trudeau. I don’t know (why). We both beat him up. I think he was excelling in a sport that we weren’t, so it was pure jealousy.”
Given that Perry was only a kid at the time, it is unlikely that the actor and his friend had any ulterior motives apart from the one the Fools Rush In actor stated. It was just a childish rivalry that led them to do so. Matthew Perry was a top-ranked junior tennis player in his school, so maybe it was this sport that they were feuding about.
Matthew Perry Does Not Take Pride In Beating Up President Justin Trudeau
At the time of the incident, neither Matthew Perry nor Mr. Justin Trudeau were famous. In the interview with Jimmy Kimmel, Perry revealed that he was not proud of beating up Mr. Trudeau. He said:
“I’m not bragging about this. It’s terrible. I was a stupid kid I didn’t want to beat him up. But I think I was rather instrumental in him going to such great heights and becoming the prime minister. I think he said, you know, ‘I’m going to rise above this and I’m going to become prime minister.’”
I’ve been giving it some thought, and you know what, who hasn’t wanted to punch Chandler? How about a rematch @MatthewPerry?
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) April 1, 2017
Mr. Trudeau, who took up the position of Canada’s Prime Minister in 2015, also tweeted jokingly asked Matthew Perry if he would like to have a rematch on April Fools’ Day in 2017. The FRIENDS star gave a good-humored response to the Canadian Prime Minister, saying that he wouldn’t want a rematch given that Mr. Trudeau had an entire army on his side.
