Summary
- Chandler’s character in Friends is beloved for his loyalty and integrity, making it impossible to imagine him cheating on Monica.
- The proposed plot line of Chandler cheating on Monica would have been a serious mistake, as it would have felt repetitive and unnecessary.
- Matthew Perry, who played Chandler, was right to prevent this plot line from happening, as fans would never forgive his character for cheating on Monica.
It may be very difficult to imagine Friends without Ross and Rachel’s romance, and even harder without Chandler and Monica’s, but the latter could have ended very differently and much more dramatically if it weren’t for Matthew Perry.
Although the love story between the characters played by David Schwimmer and Jennifer Aniston had a great impact on the successful sitcom in the first seasons and even in the series finale, there is no doubt that Chandler and Monica stole the heart of the audience with their story that went from best friends to secret lovers to finally becoming a happy marriage.
But, initially, that romance that began with a night of passion in London after Ross and Emily’s wedding, was not going to last more than a couple of episodes. Therefore, the writers had to discover on the fly what worked best for Monica and Chandler, to the point that they almost included a very controversial plot in the fifth season.
During an interview with TMZ, actress Lisa Cash revealed that when she joined the show she was going to play a woman with whom Chandler cheated on Monica, but ultimately Matthew Perry prevented this from happening, claiming that fans would have never forgiven his character for it:
“I came in as a guest star and I was super excited. The scene was Chandler and Monica were arguing in Vegas about having lunch with Richard. Initially in our script, Chandler goes up to the hotel room, orders room service and I bring it up [to him] as a hotel worker. We end up talking and laughing and connecting and Chandler ends up cheating on Monica with my character. We had rehearsed it and everything. The day before we were shooting in front of a live audience, I was told that Perry went to the writers and said the audience would never forgive [Chandler] for cheating on Monica. He was probably right! That would’ve changed possibly the course of the show and his character.”
Cash ended up playing a flight attendant in the scenes where Ross and Rachel share a flight to Las Vegas, and they play different pranks on each other.
Related: Matthew Perry Wanted Zac Efron to Play Him in a Biopic
Matthew Perry Was Right to Say No to Chandler Cheating on Monica
NBC
Chandler is one of the most beloved characters in Friends not only for his sarcastic sense of humor and Perry’s incredible performance, but also for his loyalty and integrity, in addition to constantly exposing his vulnerability. Despite the many insecurities that he always felt, especially regarding his relationship with Monica, it is impossible to imagine Chandler cheating on her. But, beyond the character’s personality and the bad reception that the plot could have had among the fans, the main mistake would have been reiteration.
One of the most relevant conflicts that ran through the series was Ross and Rachel’s break-up after he cheated on her, an event that had repercussions until the final episode of the series. Using a similar story with Monica and Chandler could have been a serious mistake from a narrative point of view, falling into a plot that would have felt repetitive as well as unnecessary.
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