Friends director shares castmates ‘devastating’ reaction over Matthew Perry’s loss

Friends director James Burrows has recently expressed his “utter shock” over the loss of actor Matthew Perry in a new interview.

Speaking with NBC’s Liz Kreutz for Today on Thursday, James said, “I had to have a couple of days to just let it soak in. He was part of a family and he was the first one to not be part of that family anymore.”

Sharing the reaction of the show’s cast especially Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow, the director revealed, “I texted the girls the day we found out and they destroyed. It was a brother dying.”

James mentioned, “It's so sad. I want him to be remembered as a wonderful actor, a funny man and a wonderful friend to a lot of people.”

Reflecting on Chandler Bing character in the series, James noted, “He was incredibly inventive. He was inventive with how he did a line.”

James pointed out, “He was a little awkward, too. Chandler was awkward. And Matthew was awkward. So, it was a perfect, perfect meld.”

Earlier this week, Friends castmates, Courteney, Jennifer, Lisa, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer all signed a joint statement about their late co-star Matthew.

“We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family. There is so much to say, but right now we're going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss,” they told PEOPLE.