Although their “Friends” characters were not love interests, behind-the-scenes everything was a different story — at least for Perry. According to The Independent, the “17 Again” actor developed romantic feelings for Aniston three years before they even sat down for the first “Friends” table read.
Perry recounted these feelings in his memoir, describing it as an instant attraction, writing, “I was immediately taken by her (how could I not be?) and I liked her, and I got the sense she was intrigued too – maybe it was going to be something.” Knowing that the two were both young actors getting started in the industry, Perry tried to win her over by telling her whenever he landed impressive roles. But when he eventually asked her on a date, Aniston declined and said she wasn’t interested in being anything more than friends.
Although the rejection hurt, Perry forced himself to move on and keep things professional when he and Aniston were both cast on “Friends.” He elaborated on this in a 2022 interview with the Sirius XM podcast “The Jess Cagle Show,” sharing, “That first day we were able to sail right past the past and focus on the fact that we had both gotten the best job Hollywood had to offer. However, he later admitted that during those early seasons, there was some awkwardness, as he would scrutinize every one of their interactions together. However, this seemed to be more one-sided.