Richard Schifflooks back fondly on his time working withMatthew Perryon the set ofThe West Wing.
In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Schiff, 68, recalls the late actor’s unflagging commitment to playing Republican attorney Joe Quincy on the political drama. In just a few episodes ofAaron Sorkin’s series, Perry’s performance earned him two Emmy nominations in 2003 and 2004.
“He [Matthew] was very, very much into doing well and meeting the challenge of working in something so different from theFriendsset, which was just an alleyway or two down the way fromThe West Wingset,” Schiff says.
Schiff continues, “We were on our 14th hour onThe West Wing,and I joked with him. I was like, ‘How many hours a day do you work onFriends?’ And he said, ‘Well, all in, just the acting, about 11 hours.’ And I said, ‘A day?’ ‘No.’ He goes, ‘No, for theweek.’ And we were three hours past that on our first day together. So he just had a great sense of humor.”
‘The West Wing’ castmembers Amy Stewart, Matthew Perry, Richard Schiff and Milo O’Shea in season 5.ALAMAY
ALAMAY
GETTY (2)
“He succeeded in impressing the creators of the powers that be, and I think he [Matthew] wanted more of that,” Schiff says.
With a caveat the he is just “conjecturing,” Schiff notes, “I think he was interested in doing, you don’t want to say more ‘serious’ work or more ‘difficult’ work … but I think he wanted a different kind of challenge in this next phase of his life andWest Wingwas a good sampling of what that would’ve been.”
In a joint statement, Michelle and Robert King, creators ofThe Good WifeandThe Good Fight,shows in which Perry also appeared, told PEOPLE they remembered Perry as being “plenty funny” but “deadly serious” about his craft.
“He wanted to play a villain, because he wanted to stretch himself as an actor. He took his work, but not himself, very seriously," they said in the statement. “But off the set, he was anything but villainous. Kind, menschy, honest about his issues.”
Matthew Perry in ‘The West Wing.'.ALAMAY
Perrydiedat age 54 in his home in the Los Angeles area on Saturday after anapparent drowning.
HisFriendscostarsJennifer Aniston,Courteney Cox,Lisa Kudrow,Matt LeBlancandDavid Schwimmerissued ajoint statementexclusively to PEOPLE on Monday.
Perry’s real-life friends and former costars continued, “In time we will say more, as and when we are able. For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world.”
Matthew Perry at the GQ Men Of The Year Party in West Hollywood, California in November 2022.Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagic
Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagic
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As for Schiff, the “heartbroken” actor will remember Perry for his many admirable qualities — his talent and humor, among them — and as a man who was “very intoexploring life without the influence of alcohol and drugs.”
“He really was genuinely nice,” Schiff says of Perry’s legacy, adding, “I would say that, look, people treat you how they want to be treated. And he treated me certainly with respect, with a lot of kindness, with curiosity and with a sense of humor. And those are the things he’d want to be remembered for.”
source: people.com
