The Truth Behind Matthew Perry's Friendship With Bruce Willis
Matthew Perry made a lot of friends in show business during his 44-year career and one of those individuals was Bruce Willis. The actors appeared in three films together in the early aughts: "The Kid," "The Whole Nine Yards," and that film's sequel, "The Whole Ten Yards."
Willis has not shared any personal memories of his friendship with Perry because he is dealing with his own health problems: In March 2022, his family announced his retirement from acting, sharing that he had been diagnosed with aphasia. In February 2023, they shared that his disease had progressed into frontotemporal dementia.
Perry's celebrity friends are using his death as an opportunity to pay tribute to the actor as a performer and person, and among the people who have posted memorials are Willis' daughter Rumer, and his current wife, Emma Heming Willis, who shared a clip on her IG story of Willis and Perry promoting "The Whole Ten Yards." In the video, Willis explains that his and Perry's on-screen chemistry stems from their friendship. Perry adds, "We enjoy making each other laugh and having a good time and hopefully, people will enjoy watching that."
On her Instagram stories (via People), Rumer Willis wrote that she was so sad to hear about Perry's passing, saying that when her father and the "Friends" mainstay were starring in "The Whole Nine Yards" and its sequel, "he was so kind and funny and sweet with my sisters and me and I think his physical Comedy and that movie still makes me laugh so much."
Matthew Perry didn't just give Bruce Willis his friendship — he also gave him an Emmy win
During his career, Bruce Willis won two Primetime Emmy Awards and he can thank his close working relationship with Matthew Perry for one of them. While filming "The Whole Nine Yards," Perry reportedly bet that if the film did well at the box office, Willis would have to appear on "Friends."
Willis lost the bet, but his three-episode arc on the NBC sitcom as Paul Stevens — the overprotective father whose college-aged daughter is dating her professor, Ross Geller — ended up winning him an Emmy for outstanding guest actor in a comedy series. Willis' character shows up in Season 6 during Episodes 21 to 23 and proceeds to intimidate Ross and date Rachel, before suffering an emotional breakdown that causes her to break up with him.
Willis beat out Carl Reiner ("Beggars and Choosers"), Anthony LaPaglia ("Frasier"), Tom Selleck ("Friends"), and William H. Macy ("Sports Night") for the win that year. While it was previously reported that Willis accepted the role but not a paycheck, that portion of the story turned out to be false. He was paid, but he donated his earnings to support some of his pet causes: Three AIDS charities, a rape treatment center, and a camp for underprivileged children.
Willis has long been seen as an action star, but his work with Perry — both on "Friends" and in their movies together — features some of the most joyous and entertaining performances of his career. This is one example of a bad bet being converted into a big win — for audiences, charities, and Willis and Perry's friendship.