The director of the "Friends" reunion special on HBO Max has nothing but kind words to say about Matthew Perry.
Ben Winston, who pitched the idea for a "Friends" reunion to the show's six stars after re-watching the series, recently spoke out about comments fans have made about the actor's appearance in the special.
Perry, who portrayed Chandler Bing on the long-running sitcom, has been open about battling substance abuse issues over the years, which has, in turn, sometimes been reflected in his appearance on "Friends."
However, Winston has no reason to believe that Perry is currently struggling with any health issues.
"He was great," Winston said on The Hollywood Reporter's podcast "TV's Top Five" on Friday. "People can sometimes just be unkind. I wish they weren't. I loved working with him. He's a brilliantly funny man and I thought he had some great one-liners in the show. I felt just happy and lucky to be in his presence and directing him on something like this."
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In a separate interview with THR, "Friends" producer Kevin S. Bright echoed Winston's sentiment.
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"What people say is what people say," he said. "I don't have any to say about that, except it was great to see him. And I think he's very funny on the show. But yes, I think he's OK. He seems stronger and better since the last time I saw him, and excited about going forward."
Perry, who got engaged to manager and producer Molly Hurwitz last November, celebrated the "Friends" reunion with a May 19 post on Instagram.
"We're back," Perry captioned a teaser for the "Friends" reunion. "I'm not crying, you're crying. There are more surprises where this came from..."
