Image Source: Greg Hernandez (greginhollywood), CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
What Was the Accusation?
Actor Matthew Perry faced criticism in October 2022 after advance excerpts from his memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, revealed two disparaging references to fellow actor Keanu Reeves. While reflecting on the deaths of actors River Phoenix and Heath Ledger, Perry questioned why talented and original performers had died while Reeves remained alive. Perry invoked Reeves again while describing his reaction to the 1997 death of comedian and actor Chris Farley. The repeated references attracted particular attention because Reeves had no apparent connection to Perry’s discussion of those deaths and because Phoenix had been a close friend of Reeves.
The remarks prompted criticism after excerpts from the memoir circulated before its November 1 publication. Perry responded on October 26, 2022, by saying that he was actually a fan of Reeves, that he had selected Reeves’s name randomly, and that using it had been a mistake. He apologized and said that he should have used his own name instead. The explanation did not entirely end questions about why Reeves had been singled out twice in the memoir.
Perry addressed the controversy again at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books on April 22, 2023. He called what he had written stupid and mean and announced a concrete revision: Reeves’s name would be removed from future editions of the memoir. Perry said he had apologized publicly but acknowledged that he had not apologized to Reeves personally. He said he would do so if he encountered him. The episode therefore developed from an initial apology and explanation into a later acknowledgment of the hurtful nature of the remarks and a promise to alter future editions of the book.
Key Apologia Strategies:
Mortification, Defeasibility, Corrective Action
Video
N/A
Transcript
Matthew Perry’s October 26, 2022 statement to the media:
“I’m actually a big fan of Keanu. I just chose a random name, my mistake. I apologize. I should have used my own name instead.”
“I said a stupid thing. It was a mean thing to do.”
“If I run into the guy, I’ll apologize.”
“I pulled his name because I live on the same street. I’ve apologized publicly to him. Any future versions of the book will not have his name in it.”
