Matthew Perry clears the air.
Earlier this week – and ahead of the release of her upcoming new memoir, Friends, lovers and the terrible big thing — several excerpts from the book have been published by Variety and The New York Postthe two outlets sharing sections where he talks about Keanu Reeves.
In one section, Perry, 53, talks about his friendship with the late actor River Phoenix and writes: “River was a handsome man, inside and out – too handsome for this world, he turned out. “He always seems to be the true of talented guys who fall. Why do original thinkers like River Phoenix and Heath Ledger die, but Keanu Reeves still walks among us?”
But the Friends the actor now says he misspoke.
In a statement to PEOPLE, Perry said: “I’m actually a huge Keanu fan. I just picked a random name, my mistake. I apologize. I should have used my own name instead. .”
Matthew Eisman/Getty; Neilson Barnard/Getty Matthew Perry Keanu Reeves
Reeves is quoted again in the upcoming book when Perry writes about the death of comedian Chris Farley. “Her disease had progressed faster than mine. (Plus, I had a healthy fear of the word ‘heroin,’ a fear we didn’t share),” Perry writes. “I drilled a hole in the wall of Jennifer Aniston’s dressing room when I found out. Keanu Reeves Walks Among Us.”
RELATED: Matthew Perry says he’s ‘grateful’ to Jennifer Aniston for her unwavering support over the years
The statement in Perry’s book caused a stir on social media, with several celebrities tweeting in support of Reeves.
Lynda Carter wrote, “Come on…Keanu Reeves is like one of those ice cream cakes. Nobody likes him!”
West Side Story oneActress Rachel Zegler shared her support for Reeves, writing, “personally thrilled to have Keanu Reeves walking among us”
Speaking in PEOPLE’s cover story last week, Perry explained his decision in his memoir, available November 1, now
“I wanted to share when I was safe from going to the dark side of everything again,” he told PEOPLE. “I had to wait until I was safe sober – and away from the active disease of alcoholism and drug addiction – to write it all down. And the main thing was that I was pretty sure it would help people .”
Perry opens up in his memoir about his addiction issues.
RELATED VIDEO: Matthew Perry Opens Up About His Addiction Journey With New Memoir: ‘I’m Grateful To Be Alive’
When Perry was first cast Friends at 24, his alcohol addiction was just beginning to surface. “I could handle it, sort of. But at the age of 34, I was really entrenched in a lot of trouble,” he admitted to PEOPLE. “But there were years I was sober during that time. Season 9 was the year I was sober all the way. And guess which season I got nominated for Best Actor? J I was like, ‘That should mean something to me.’ “
At a terrifying moment in his Friends reign, Perry was taking 55 Vicodin a day and was down to 128 pounds. “I didn’t know how to stop,” he said. “If the police came to my house and said, ‘If you drink tonight, we’re going to take you to jail’, I would start packing my bags. I couldn’t stop because the disease and addiction is progressive . So it gets worse and worse with age.”
Never miss a story – subscribe to Free PEOPLE Daily Newsletter to stay up to date on the best that PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to gripping human interest stories.
Although he’d rather not divulge how long he’s currently been sober, he still counts every day. “It’s important, but if you lose your sobriety, it doesn’t mean you lose all that time and education,” he says. “Your sober date changes, but that’s all that changes. You know everything you knew before, as long as you were able to fight your way back without dying, you learn a lot.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
#Matthew #Perry #apologizes #Keanu #Reeves #walking #among