Friends' Matthew Perry Dated Julia Roberts Behind the Scenes, Deliberately Broke Her Heart
Despite Roberts's appearance on Friends, most fans never realized that she used to date Matthew Perry — and he ended things between them in the worst way possible.
Friends had an amazing run, but at times, the show went through some hiccups. Its main recipe for such situations was simple: invite a star for a cameo, and everyone will be happy. When Friends faced pressure after the iconic Super Bowl episode, the creators wanted to have a big-name guest — and Julia Roberts caught their eyes.
At the time, Roberts was flying higher than ever, being cast in the biggest projects and enjoying her fame to its fullest. Matthew Perry was chosen to negotiate with the actress — but, unimpressed with his initial offerings, Julia Roberts told the Chandler actor she'd join Friends only if he'd "write her a paper on quantum physics."
Perry took this assignment seriously, and after consulting with specialists, he actually produced the required study report. This gesture convinced Roberts that she was needed on the show, so she came in and did a great cameo which not only resulted in fans' ovations but in her dating Matthew Perry after the episode was over, too.
Perry and Roberts were together for quite some time, but eventually, the Friends star realized he couldn't keep going like this, constantly surrounded by paparazzi and public attention. He broke up with the Ocean Eleven actress and broke her heart.
"We were driving in a car and being chased by paparazzi and I said, 'I want to break up with you.' Because I think she fancied herself slumming it with a TV boy. And then the TV boy just broke up with her. And you know that the reason I did that was purely out of fear. I needed to get out," Matthew Perry later explained to GQ.
What could've been a perfect love story was not destined to last, and Perry blamed the media and the pressure for it. We have to admit, the couple looked really sweet together, but it's not like we can change the past. At least, we learned that doing cameos in popular TV shows carries the danger of having your heart broken later.