Friends reunion director defends Matthew Perry after mean comments from trolls about actor’s slurred speech

The director of the Friends reunion film has defended Matthew Perry, after people commented on the actor’s apparent slurred speech.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Ben Winston said Perry was healthy when recording the film after people speculated about his state. He said: "Yes, he was great. People can sometimes just be unkind. I wish they weren't. I loved working with him. He's a brilliantly funny man and I thought he had some great one-liners in the show.

"I felt just happy and lucky to be in his presence and directing him on something like this."

Following people trolling the actor, it was later reported by various publications that Perry's slurred speech was the result of emergency dental surgery. Sources told the outlet that the procedure took place hours before the reunion episode was recorded.

"Matthew turned up to the reunion [in April] and members of his team said that he had an emergency tooth procedure that day," a source told The Sun."That was said to impact his wellbeing and also how he was feeling. [Matthew] had been in pain from what we understand, which caused the slurred speech."

Kevin Bright, an executive producer on Friends also defended the actor in a separate interview with The Hollywood Reporter following the reunion episode.

He said: "What people say is what people say. I don't have any[thing] to say about that, except it was great to see him. And I think he's very funny on the show. I think he's OK. He seems stronger and better since the last time I saw him, and excited about going forward."

Perry has spoken candidly about his struggles with substance abuse in past. The actor checked himself into a rehabilitation clinic on two occasions while filming Friends in 1997 and 2001.

In a 2013 interview, he told People: “I had a big problem with alcohol and pills and I couldn’t stop. Eventually things got so bad that I couldn’t hide it, and then everybody knew.”