Friends star Matthew Perry refused to let his character Chandler cheat on Monica and asked show writers to scrap the scene, it has been revealed.
Actress Lisa Cash starred on season five’s episode, The One in Vegas: Part 1, as a flight attendant who encounters Ross and Rachel.
However, Cash explained she was originally supposed to play a hotel worker who Chandler cheats on Monica with after an argument over her having lunch with ex Richard, played by Tom Selleck.
She told TMZ: “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.”
Her comments come after Perry was laid to rest in Los Angeles with his Friends co-stars in attendance over the weekend following his death aged 54 in October.
Loved ones of the US actor including Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow and Jennifer Aniston, gathered for the funeral service at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park on Friday, it was reported.
His father John Bennett Perry, mother Suzanne and stepfather Keith Morrison were also photographed arriving for the service in pictures shared by US media outlets.
Forest Lawn Memorial Park is the burial place of a number of Hollywood stars including Star Wars’ Carrie Fisher and Fast & Furious star Paul Walker.
Perry’s fellow co-stars said they were “utterly devastated” and described their relationship as “more than cast mates. We are a family” in a joint statement earlier this week.
A new foundation has been set up in his memory which promises to continue his commitment to “helping others struggling with the disease of addiction”.
During Perry’s life and in his recent memoir, he was open about his battle with substance abuse and addiction, and also set up a sober living facility for men with similar issues.
In a statement, the organisation said: “The Matthew Perry Foundation is the realisation of Matthew’s enduring commitment to helping others struggling with the disease of addiction.
“It will honour his legacy and be guided by his own words and experiences and driven by his passion for making a difference in as many lives as possible.”
The Matthew Perry Foundation also referenced a quote by the actor on its website, in which he said: “When I die, I don’t want Friends to be the first thing that’s mentioned – I want helping others to be the first thing that’s mentioned and I’m going to live the rest of my life proving that.
“Addiction is far too powerful for anyone to defeat alone. But together, one day at a time, we can beat it down.”
