Trailer released for Netflix's Matthew Perry documentary

A new trailer has been released for an upcoming Netflix documentary about Matthew Perry's life, The One About Matthew Perry, out October 27.

The three-part series is set to cover the late actor's career, relationships and long battle with addiction.

It opens with a montage of archival footage and interviews with Perry discussing his desire to make people laugh and become famous, as well as the phone call when he was offered the role of Chandler Bing on Friends.

"I was extremely happy when I got famous," Perry says in one interview. "Then I was like, 'Uh-oh, this didn't fix what's inside me. This didn't do what I thought it was gonna do.'"

Immediately after, Mia Perry Bowick, the actor's sister, adds, "My brother would talk about that feeling of emptiness or loneliness that he couldn't quite fill. He spent $7 million trying to get sober - that's how seriously he took his disease."

Perry died in 2023 from the acute effects of ketamine, which caused him to accidentally drown. The release of the film comes on the third anniversary of his death.

Bowick is one of several people who speak on camera for the first time about Perry, along with longtime friends Roger Castillo and David Pressman. While none of his Friends costars participated in the series, a few people on the show's creative team did, as well as some of Perry's collaborators from other projects like The Whole Nine Yards, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and Fools Rush In.

Two people Perry met in recovery and rehab spoke as well - Evelyn Sallinger and Tim Harrington, who became Perry's roommate for a time in the early 2000s and credits the actor with saving his life. The film also includes unreleased photos and videos from the Perry family's private archive.

“It’s taken time for me to feel ready to share these memories and what it was like to love Matthew through all the complexity of his life - to see him as a whole person, not just as Chandler and not just as someone who struggled with addiction,” Bowick said in a statement.

“As his sister, he shaped who I am today, the person I strive to be and the work to which I’ve devoted my life. Matthew had a beautiful heart and a generous spirit, and even in his darkest moments, he could still make you laugh and feel loved. I hope this series gives everyone who loved him, whether personally or from afar, a deeper appreciation for who he truly was and the legacy he survived by.”

The One About Matthew Perry is directed by Mary Robertson and executive produced by Robertson, Lisa Kalikow, Eli Holzman and Aaron Sandman.

"Matthew Perry was one of the comedic geniuses of our time,” Robertson said. “Through his many films, TV and stage performances and his unforgettable portrayal of Chandler Bing, he made millions of us laugh, connect and feel a little less alone.

"He also gave us so much more by bravely speaking about addiction. Yet the public only knew part of his story. That’s why we set out to make this series."

Watch the trailer below.