Friends reunion: Matthew Perry opens up about ‘very seriously emotional experience’ on set

All six original stars returned to Friends soundstage for upcoming reunion

Matthew Perry has opened up about the “very seriously emotional experience” of returning to the Friends set.

The actor and his co-stars spoke (in two separate groups) to Good Morning America in the lead-up to the Friends reunion, coming to HBO Max on 27 May.

“I knew it was going to be a really seriously emotional experience, and it has been,” Perry told the ABC programme of the reunion.

The show was filmed on the original Friends soundstage at the Warner Bros Studio lot in Burbank, California. This means that Perry, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, and Lisa Kudrow reunited on the same set where they took their final bow 17 years ago.

“I don’t think of us had any idea how emotional we would be when we walked onto the set,” Cox said. “To see it exactly the way it was ... it was so emotional that we just started crying.”

The stars declined to give away specific teasers but said fans had “a lot of fun surprises” to look forward to.

Several guest stars are scheduled to make an appearance during the reunion, including Lady Gaga, James Corden, and Reese Witherspoon. David Beckham, Justin Bieber, and BTS will also be featured, alongside Cindy Crawford, Cara Delevingne, Kit Harington, Mindy Kaling, and Malala Yousafzai.

UK viewers will be able to stream the special on NOW from 8am BST on 27 May, at the same time it will be released in the US on HBO Max. Friends: The Reunion will also air on Sky One on 27 May at 8pm BST.