Matthew Perry Had ‘Friends’ Writers Change Chandler Bing Cheating Storyline, Says Former Show Actress

In the wake of Matthew Perry‘s tragic death, new stories are coming to light about the Friends actor. 

Lisa Cash, who had a brief cameo in a 1999 season 5 episode “The One in Vegas: Part 1,” told TMZ that her original part in the sitcom could have changed everything for Perry’s character, Chandler Bing. 

According to Cash, it was originally written that Chandler cheated on his then-girlfriend, Monica Gellar (Courteney Cox), with her character while the pals were all in Las Vegas. 

“The scene was Chandler and Monica were arguing in Vegas about Monica having lunch with Richard [Tom Selleck] and initially in our script, Chandler goes up to the hotel room, orders room service and I bring it up as a hotel worker and we end up talking and laughing and connecting and Chandler ends up cheating on Monica with my character,” Cash claims. 

Saying that they had rehearsed the scene as-written, Cash says she was later told that Perry went to the writers asking them to change the storyline, thinking, “The audience would never forgive him for cheating on Monica.”

Instead, Cash was given a small role as a flight attendant working with Ross Gellar (David Schwimmer) and Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston). 

“I think it was a good move because they had that whole other thing with Ross and Rachel and ‘we were on a break,’ but Chandler and Monica weren’t on a break,” Cash notes of the decision to change the storyline. “This was a decision he was going to make to cheat on her.”

Cash also praises Perry, saying, “It was so neat to work with him because I was coming in and I was new to the industry and it could have been really intimidating for me…. But I just felt so comfortable. He was really likable and welcoming and made me feel at ease.”

ET has reached out to the creators of Friends for confirmation of Cash’s story. 

Perry was found dead in a hot tub at his home in Los Angeles last week. He was 54. 

He is best known for his role as Chandler on Friends, playing the quick-witted character for all 10 seasons of the hit sitcom. Chandler and Monica eventually tied the knot in season 7 of the show. 

Following the news of his death, Friends creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane, as well as executive producer Kevin Bright, shared a statement with ET in regard to Perry’s death.

“We are shocked and deeply, deeply saddened by our beloved friend Matthew’s passing. It still seems impossible. All we can say is that we feel blessed to have had him as part of our lives,” read their statement. “He was a brilliant talent. It’s a cliché to say that an actor makes a role their own, but in Matthew’s case, there are no truer words. From the day we first heard him embody the role of Chandler Bing, there was no one else for us. We will always cherish the joy, the light, the blinding intelligence he brought to every moment – not just to his work, but in life as well. He was always the funniest person in the room. More than that, he was the sweetest, with a giving and selfless heart.” 

Last week Kauffman also told Today that Perry was “in a really good place” when she spoke to him just two weeks before his death. 

Over the weekend, Perry was laid to rest at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles, not far from Warner Bros. Studios where he filmed Friends. The funeral was held Friday afternoon and was attended by his family and friends, including his former Friends castmates Aniston, Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and Schwimmer.

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