Matthew Perry's sister reveals emotional details about his funeral
What's the story
Mary Robertson, director of the Netflix documentary The One About Matthew Perry, has shared new details about actor Matthew Perry's private funeral. Speaking to Page Six, she revealed that one of her favorite moments from the three-episode series is when Perry's sister Mia Perry Bowick talks about his memorial service. Bowick's description of the day was "wrenching and harrowing," according to Robertson.
Funeral recollection
Bowick laughed during the service for this reason
Bowick also shared a bittersweet memory from the funeral. She said she started laughing during the service because she felt Perry's presence.
"He showed up right behind my right shoulder and goes, 'How f-ked up is this?'," his sister recalls in the doc.
"And I started laughing so hard...I was like, 'Oh my god, there he is!' Making me laugh at the most horrible moment."
Grief expression
The director defended Bowick's funeral laughter
Robertson told Page Six that it's not unusual to laugh at funerals, and it doesn't lessen Bowick's grief.
"I think that is true to Matthew's lived experience, true to Mathews's legacy, and true to our experience as humans," the Emmy-winning director said.
In The One About Matthew Perry, Bowick also talks about seeing the rest of the F.R.I.E.N.D.S cast at the funeral after a long time.
Cast reunion
'Jennifer Aniston was the first one to come up...'
Bowick recalled seeing the F.R.I.E.N.D.S cast at the funeral, saying, "I hadn't seen them in easily 20 years. [Jennifer] Aniston was the first one of them to come up to me and give me a huge hug."
She added that all five of them (Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, and Matt LeBlanc) walked up to Perry's casket holding hands and stood around him, crying.
Documentary release
Everything to know about 'The One About Matthew Perry'
The One About Matthew Perry will premiere on Netflix on October 27. The documentary features Bowick's account of her brother's funeral, Perry's rise to fame, his time on F.R.I.E.N.D.S, relationships, struggles with addiction, and tragic death at 54.
Perry's autopsy revealed he died from the "acute effects of ketamine" and the manner was accidental drowning.
Despite reaching out to them, none of the F.R.I.E.N.D.S actors or Perry's other family members participated in the documentary.