MATTHEW PERRY is back on NBC playing a widowed sportscaster who attends a support group on his new show ‘Go On’ which just got picked up for a full season.
Matthew spoke to us reporters on the phone recently and here is some of the Q&A.
Why this?
“I would say it was just written really well. I was looking to do a drama and had met all the networks and studios about – in the development season – about finding a drama and was sent this. And it’s obviously a comedy and I could tell by, like, the amount of pages that it was a comedy and I called my manager and said why did you send me this and he said just read it. And I realized that it had, you know, all of the elements that I was looking for. It had, you know, it was definitely funny, it had a lot of funny characters in it. And also it posed a big dramatic challenge too. So – plus I had known Scott Silveri – he was on ‘Friend’s for eight years and he’d written a really great script so I was in.”
With a sports theme, which icons would you like to see on the show?
“Well, we had asked – Wayne Gretzky, I’d love to have on the show at some point. We’ve talked to David Beckham and he said that he would do it, so that was very exciting. My favorite athlete of all time I was lucky enough to have on ‘Mr. Sunshine’ but maybe we can have him come back on Go On’ too, – who is Jimmy Connors. So, I guess my hope is that we get Jimmy Connors to come back and work with me again, which would be a dream come true.”
Growing up, when did you first realize you were funny?
“Oh. well, I would always be the kid that got in trouble in school, that’s for sure, for joking around and I guess it was seventh grade I got hired – not hired – I got put in a play in school in Ottawa, Canada. (Greg Simpson) was the head theatre guy and he cast me in a role in that and it was funny and I felt so good to get laughs. So it was probably then, seventh grade in Ottawa.”
Also on CBS’ ‘The Good Wife’, how is it balancing two very different types of roles?
“Yes, I really love doing ‘The Good Wife’, I hope that I get to come back and do more. It’s really fun to play a guy who is just so evil. And, you know, I’ve been looking to do, you know, I like to do both. I like to do comedy and drama and, you know, I got both jobs on the exact same day. I got ‘Go On’ and ‘The Good Wife’ both on the same day and it was a great day. So, I’m really happy with how ‘Go O’n is going and, you know, I hope to get to do some more Good Wife’s in the future too. “
Favorite actor growing up?
“My favorite actor was – is Michael Keaton. Certainly growing up he – I think in the movie ‘Night Shift’, he did something brand new that I hadn’t seen before that we all sort of steal from now. And then, you know, and I think it was in 1987 he did the movie ‘Clean and Sober’ and ‘Beetlejuice’ in the same year and that was when I sort of said wow, that’s what I want to do. So I think I’d have to say Michael Keaton.”
Go On airs Tuesday’s at 9p ET on NBC.