The Chandler Scene On Friends That Was Totally Improvised
The calendar may say 2021, but the entertainment headlines of the last few weeks have us feeling like we're in the '90s. Back then, there was this little show about a group of friends living in New York City ... perhaps you've heard of it? The promotional tour leading up to HBO's "Friends: The Reunion" put many in a nostalgic mood, leading them to revisit the NBC smash hit sitcom that ended in 2004 and made megastars of its cast. Old interviews, gag reels, and "Friends" trivia have been bumped to the top of our social media feeds. Given the show's 10-season run and its place in pop culture history, even the most dedicated "Friends" fans have stumbled across a new tidbit or two over the past weeks, which leads us to this little Chandler gem.
It's no surprise that sitcoms are prime territory for improvisation. In order to keep the comedy fresh take after take, actors will often change up some lines or their delivery. In one episode of "Friends," a slip of the tongue by Matthew Perry turned into this improvised Chandler moment that ended up in the final cut.
Matthew Perry flubbed a tongue twister
In the Season 4 episode, "The One with Phoebe's Uterus," Joey (Matt LeBlanc) is short on funds and takes a tour guide job at the museum where Ross (David Schwimmer) works. As any high school student knows, cafeteria tables are divided by cliques, and such is the case at the museum. The scientists, in their white lab coats, never eat with the blue-blazered tour guides, and both groups turn their nose up at the gift shop workers, which leads to some very funny exchanges between the groups. However, one of the most humorous lines surrounding that plot line occurs outside the museum. Proud of his new job, Joey shows off his blazer to the gang in Monica's apartment, where Chandler makes a sarcastic comment — shocking, we know.
The script calls for Chandler to say, "Donald Trump wants his blue blazer back," but actor Matthew Perry flubbed the line, instead saying, "Donald Trump wants his blue blazer black." Perry's "Friends" cast mates catch the mistake and begin to mock his tongue-twisted error. The scene is a comic reversal of roles as Chandler is usually the first to zing his friends. The show's creative team liked the flub and the improvised back-and-forth between the characters so much that they decided to keep it in the episode's final cut.