What Really Happened Between Matthew Perry And Sarah Paulson?
Matthew Perry and Sarah Paulson both starred in the short-lived Aaron Sorkin-created ensemble show "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" which was anointed by critics before its release in 2006. "Studio 60" gave a behind-the-scenes look at the production of a fictional sketch show, and came at a tenuous time in both actors' careers. The show came out only a couple of years after "Friends" had ended, and Perry was eager to distance himself from the character he portrayed on the beloved sitcom. "I didn't want to play Chandler anymore," he told BuzzFeed in 2015 when reflecting on that time. "I wanted to do some things that changed it up a little bit." The show only lasted one season, but it left an imprint on Perry. "I was really proud of being part of that, because that pilot was just as good as anything I've seen on television," he told USA Today in 2013. Perry revealed to BuzzFeed that he even contemplated retiring from acting after the Sorkin-created drama was canceled.  Meanwhile, Paulson was just establishing herself in Hollywood and thought "Studio 60" could be her big break. "It was the hottest thing in town ... [Sorkin's] coming off the success of 'The West Wing,' Matthew Perry coming off 'Friends,'" she recalled to Collider in 2020. Onscreen, Perry and Paulson played romantic interests but the duo had developed a bit of history prior to working together on "Studio 60".