Friends: Who is Craig Bierko, the actor who originally signed on to play Chandler?

“In theory, Chandler was supposed to be the easiest to cast…” The creators of the series recount the impossible casting of Mister Bing in Première.

The 25th special edition of Première (special 25 years of Fight Club) has hit the newsstands, but the one dedicated to Friends is always available online. During the long interview with Marta Kaufman, David Crane and Kevin Bright, which opens this issue celebrating the 30th anniversary of the cult series with multiple anecdotes, the trio of creators confirms or denies some rumors about Friendsits writing, its casting, its filming…

It is particularly about the long auditions to find the ideal interpreter of Chandler Bing. The trio confirms having quickly loved the game of Matthew Perrywhile recalling that it was not their first choice. Before him, it was Craig Bierkothen known for other American comedy series (Roomies, Our House, Wings...), who had been chosen.

The two actors were very good friends: Perry describes him in his autobiography as “the man who made him laugh the most in the world”recalling some unforgettable discussions and rereadings of sketches with him. Also mentioning their friends Hank Azaria (who plays David, Phoebe's first love in the series) and David Pressman, he also said: “We were always hanging out together, we were our own little Rat Pack.”

Kaufman, Crane and Bright detail the sequel in First. Here is an excerpt from their interview.

First : Is there any luck in the success of Friends ? Have you come at the right time to fill a gap on US television?
Marta Kaufman: I always say that the stars aligned. There must be some magic in that.
David Crane: We auditioned a million people. And we even offered roles to some people because Matthew Perry or Jennifer Aniston weren't available at the time. So when I start to imagine that someone else could have played one of the six, I think the show wouldn't be what it is.

Speaking of casting, Matthew Perry says in his autobiography that you initially offered his role to his friend Craig Bierko and that he even ended up coaching him even though he was convinced that Chandler Bing was the one for him.
MK: Yes, it hurt him terribly!
DC: We already knew Matthew because he had played in an episode of Dream On. We knew he was brilliant. So when we started the casting process, he was one of the first people we wanted to see. Except he had already signed on for a weird pilot…
MK: A series that took place at Los Angeles Airport in 2200 (LAX 2194). They all wore futuristic costumes.
DC: Anyway, he couldn't come and audition. At one point, we were desperate: not only had we not found our Chandler, but we had seen so many actors apply for the role and not be funny that we began to think that maybe it was due to the writing.
In theory, Chandler was supposed to be the easiest to cast, because he's the character who openly tells jokes… Except that wasn't the case, no one else seemed up to the task. So we cast Craig Bierko kind of by default, even though he's a great actor.
KB: And he ended up refusing to go do something else, which is quite funny.
MK: Thank God!
DC: So we were still looking for the rare pearl. But it turns out that Matthew's pilot fell into the water at the same time. You can't imagine the relief we felt: the dialogues were finally funny coming from his mouth. The magic that Marta was talking about worked.

Comments collected by Charles Martin and François Léger.

In 1993, when filming the pilot of FriendsBierko finally turned to Private investigationa police series, as well as the TV movie Staradapted from a bestseller by Danielle Steel, and the show Madman of the Peopleof which he filmed 15 episodes during the 1994-1995 season for NBC, the same network that broadcast Friends. He also appeared in a handful of episodes The Powers That Beanother sitcom created by Marta Kaufman and David Crane.

In 1996, the comedian was seen in “bad guy” in the buddy movie goodbye foreveralongside Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson, and then continued to find supporting roles in film and television, but without ever knowing the fame offered by Friendswhose success exploded in the mid-1990s.

During this decade, he was encountered in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Crazy About You Or Ally McBealthen in Sex and the City, From the Shadows to the Light And Scary Moviebut it was on Broadway that he was most acclaimed. In 2000, he was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actor for The Music Manand was elected at the same time by the magazine People “Sexiest Broadway Star of the Year”. His fame, however, has not really spread beyond the United States beyond his supporting roles in successful films and series. Now aged 59, he appeared briefly in 2024 in Larry David's landmark comedy series, Larry and his belly button.

Shortly before his disappearance, Matthew Perry returned in an interview to his friendship with Craig Bierko, regretting that the latter had taken his success badly. Seeing Friends a hit at a time when he was struggling to make it in Hollywood, he no longer spoke at all to the actor who played Chandler Bing during the first two years of the series.

“He apologized and told me he couldn't handle the fact that I was becoming rich and popular because of a role he turned down, Matthew confided in the interview below. You know, we were both good enough to play this character, that wasn't really the point… It's crazy that we had this conversation at only 24. I remember telling him that fame doesn't really bring what you expect it to. It doesn't really solve any problems, really. (Even during Friends)I wanted to drink daily.”

A reference to his problems with addiction to alcohol, then to medication, which followed him throughout his life and ended up causing his premature death, at only 54 years old.

Lisa Kudrow finally rewatches Friends, in memory of Matthew Perry: “He was so funny…”