‘Friends’ Guest Actor Says Matthew Perry Made the Writers Scrap a Chandler Bing Cheating Scandal

Matthew Perry prevented a huge cheating scandal involving his character on Friends, according to guest star Lisa Cash.

Lisa, 54, played a flight attendant during the season 5 episode “The One in Vegas: Part 1” in 1999. However, in an interview published on Monday, November 6, the actress claimed that she was originally supposed to play a much more significant role. In the original script, Lisa worked at the Las Vegas hotel where the gang was staying and was supposed to have an affair with Matthew’s Chandler Bing. Chandler and Monica, played by Courteney Cox, were dating at the time.

“The scene was, Chandler and Monica were arguing in Vegas about Monica having lunch with Richard [played by Tom Selleck], and initially in our script, Chandler goes up to the hotel room, orders room service, and I bring it up as a hotel worker,” Lisa said. “And we end up talking and laughing and the next thing … Chandler ends up cheating on Monica with my character.”

Lisa explained that she and Matthew had “rehearsed the scene” and were ready to film it. However, the day before they were supposed to shoot, Lisa learned that Matthew protested the scene to the writers, saying that “the audience would never forgive him for cheating on Monica.”

“He was probably right,” Lisa added. “That would have changed possibly the course of the show and the character.”

The writers ultimately decided to scrap the cheating scenario and the hotel worker altogether, instead allowing Lisa to play a flight attendant in a scene with David Schwimmer’s Ross Geller and Jennifer Aniston’s Rachel Green.

Though Lisa’s scene with Matthew did not make the final script, she said in the interview with TMZ that it was “so neat” to work with the actor.

“I was new to the industry, and it could have been really intimidating … but I just felt so comfortable, and he was really likable and welcoming, and just made me feel at ease,” she said. “It was just really fun doing the scene with him, and it was easy doing the scene with him too.”

Friends fans everywhere were shocked to learn of Matthew’s sudden death after an apparent drowning in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home on October 28. The 54-year-old was found unresponsive by his assistant, who then called paramedics, but they were unable to revive the actor.

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The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office completed the autopsy on October 29, but Matthew’s cause of death was listed as “deferred” pending toxicology results. Matthew’s friend Athenna Crosby, who ate lunch with the actor one day before his death, insisted that he was “100 percent sober” after he struggled with addiction for years. Although it could take four to six months for the tox report to come back and reveal if Matthew had drugs in his system when he died, initial tests show no meth or fentanyl was present.

Matthew’s Friends costars have come forward among the many loved ones and fans to pay tribute to him after his death. Jennifer, 54, Courteney, 59, David, 57, Matt LeBlanc and Lisa Kudrow released a group statement on October 30.

“We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family,” their statement, which was originally obtained by People, read. “There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss. 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.”