Salma Hayek is reflecting on her “special bond” with her former co-star Matthew Perry.
Perry was found dead Saturday at 54 from an apparent drowning in his jacuzzi. He was best known for his role as Chandler Bing on “Friends,” but he also starred opposite Hayek in “Fools Rush In” (1997) as strangers who unexpectedly conceive a child in Las Vegas.
Hayek shared a nostalgic Instagram photo Monday that appears to have been taken during production of the film. The reflective carousel also included a screenshot of an old Instagram story from Perry — in which stated that “Fools Rush In” was “probably my best movie.”
“I woke up to the shocking news that Matthew Perry is no longer with us,” wrote Hayek. “It’s taken me a couple of days to process this profound sadness. There is a special bond that happens when you share dreams with someone, and together you work towards them.”
She continued, “I was very moved last year when Matthew shared on his Instagram stories how much he loved ‘Fools Rush In’ and how he thought that the film we did together was probably his best movie.”
Perry had already wrapped three seasons of “Friends” as one of its most popular cast members when “Fools Rush In” hit theaters. The late actor reflected on its production in his 2022 memoir, “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing” — with fond memories of Hayek.
He recounted in the book that Hayek had “some fun strategies to tap into real feelings and to be more of a leading man than a funny sitcom actor” for the film and “came into my trailer at the start of the shoot and said, ‘Let’s just spoon a little bit.’”
Perry continued: “I did my best Chandler impression — the double-take-and-sardonic-stare thing — and said, ‘Oh, OK! Let’s just spoon a little bit!’”
Perry recalled another hilarious suggestion from Hayek during a pivotal scene in which his character, a real estate developer forced to choose between his old life in New York City and his unexpected new family in Las Vegas, professes his love for her.
“She suggested that we don’t look at each other — rather, we should look out at our future together,” wrote Perry in his memoir. “After listening to this nonsense for about 20 minutes, I finally said, ‘Listen, Salma.’ I said, ‘I’m telling you I love you in this scene.’”
Perry continued: “‘You look wherever you want, but I’m going to be looking at you.’”
Hayek, who married French businessman François-Henri Pinault in 2009, wrote Monday in her post that she and Perry “found ourselves reminiscing about that meaningful time in our lives with a deep sense of nostalgia and gratitude” over the past two decades.
“My friend, you are gone much too soon, but I will continue to cherish your silliness, your perseverance, and your lovely heart,” wrote Hayek. “Farewell, sweet Matthew, we will never forget you.”
Perry’s autopsy results are currently inconclusive, as a toxicology report remains pending.