Matthew Perry 'Can't Watch' Episodes Of 'Friends' Because He Was 'Brutally Thin'

"Friends" alum Matthew Perry opened up about his addiction struggles while filming the NBC series and explained why he hasn't rewatched the show.

In an interview with CBC Radio's Tom Power at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema in Toronto, Canada, last month, the 53-year-old actor revealed that he "can't watch the show, because I was brutally thin and being beaten down so badly by the disease," referring to his years-long struggle with alcohol and substance abuse.

Perry, who played Chandler Bing in the 10-season comedy series, explained that he can tell which substance he was using in each episode, whether it was alcohol, opiates or cocaine.

"I could tell season by season by how I looked, and I don't think anybody else can, but I certainly could," Perry told Power, "That's why I don't want to watch it because that's what I see — that's what I notice when I watch it."

But after learning of the impact the show has had on so many people long after it ended 18 years ago, the "Serving Sara" star said that he was now open to rewatching "Friends."

"I think I'm going to start to watch it because it really has been — first of all, it was an incredible ride — but it's been an incredible thing to watch it touch the hearts of different generations," he said, while the audience in the theater cheered for him in support.

He added, "It's become this important, significant thing, and I would watch that again. It was really funny, and all the people were nice. I've been too worried about this and I [want to] watch 'Friends' too."

Last month, Perry released his memoir "Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing," in which he candidly shared the behind-the-scenes details of his addiction woes.

"I wanted to share when I was safe from going into the dark side of everything again," he told People of his tell-all book in October. "I had to wait until I was pretty safely sober — and away from the active disease of alcoholism and addiction — to write it all down. And the main thing was, I was pretty certain that it would help people."

In the book, which reached the top of The New York Times best-seller list after it hit shelves on Nov. 1, the actor revealed that he nearly died in 2018 after he suffered from gastrointestinal perforation when his colon burst from opioid overuse.

He was hospitalized for five months and spent two weeks in a coma. He also used a colostomy bag for nine months, which helped to collect the waste from his body, People reported.

The "17 Again" actor also opened up in his book about his ill-fated relationships with celebrities such as Cameron Diaz, Julia Roberts and Valerie Bertinelli and his crush on his "Friends" co-star Jennifer Aniston.