‘Fools Rush In’ Producer Says Matthew Perry Was ‘Very Nervous’
The real-life inspiration for Matthew Perry’s character in the 1997 romcom Fools Rush In paid touching tribute to the late actor and comedian on Monday. In an interview with the NY Post, Doug Draizin recalled Perry being “very nervous” about his first major film role, and how he wanted to do him proud.
In Fools Rush In, Perry stars as confirmed bachelor Alex Whitman, who discovers months after a one-night stand with Isabel Fuentes (Salma Hayek) that he impregnated her. The two wed, but struggle with their respective families and careers. The film is entirely autobiographical with the exception of the character’s names. In real life, Draizin and his wife had two sons and a daughter before they divorced. His first-born, whose conception inspired the film, broke the news to him that Perry had died.
Draizin remembered the legendary actor as entirely genuine. Perry was also tremendously concerned with leading his first film. “He didn’t want people coming into his trailer,” he said. “He wanted to be left alone, and his way of releasing tension, he and I would play Wiffle ball; we’d go into the back lot or, if we were on location, kids would come running out of their houses because there was Matthew Perry of Friends hitting a Wiffle ball in their street.
“A lot of kids would come and pitch to him,” he said. “He loved having people come around when we were on location. He was really friendly … and he was very genuine.”
According to the producer, whose other credits include Repossessed and Spy Hard, Perry was tremendously concerned with doing his life story justice. “When I first met Matthew for him to do the movie, we really got along,” Draizin told the Post. “He said to me, ‘If I do this movie, I want to do you proud.’ And I thought that was very sweet.”
He continued: “We were at the premiere and he’s surrounded by Jennifer [Aniston] and the Friends cast and he comes over to me and gives me a hug and says, ‘I hope I did you proud.’ I looked at him and gave him this big hug and said, ‘Thank you,’ because it was about my family and my life, and I knew he really wanted to do a good job.”
Draizin closed out his tribute by recalling a sweet memory Perry shared with his father, fellow actor John Bennett Perry, who happened to play his dad in Fools Rush In. “I remember they had such a reunion on the set, spending that time together,” he said. “Matt came from a very difficult divorce, so having his father there and working together … I know it really made him proud.”
Since his sudden death on Saturday, tributes for Perry have been pouring in, including from his “brother” and Friends co-star Hank Azaria. The actor’s last public sighting was just a week ago, where he appeared healthy at lunch with a friend. Only days ago, he posted to Instagram a picture fans are now calling “eerie.” The actor’s cause of death is currently deferred pending the results of a toxicology report.