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According to a new report, Friends star Matthew Perry has beef with Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds.
Apparently, Perry, 53, believes Reynolds, 46, swiped his whole schtick from him.
Radar claims a source close to Matthew Perry informed them that he “flat-out believes” Reynolds “stole his character and delivery, and it kills him that he’s never admitted it.”
“Matthew hasn’t resolved his feelings about this for the last 25 years,” claims this source.
“[Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place] set the template for Ryan’s whole voice as a performer and eventually as a writer and producer.”
Whether Reynolds knows about Perry’s issue with him in unclear. Ryan has never mentioned Perry as any sort of inspiration.
“It bugs Matthew so much that Ryan never even gave him a single mention. That’s all it would have taken,” claimed the source.
“Now, does Matthew think he should have had Ryan’s career? No, he’s pretty honest about how his own drug use messed up his life and nearly killed him.”
Let’s take a look at the arc of both Matthew Perry’s and Ryan Reynolds’ careers and seem if any of this adds up.
Perry’s first significant acting gig came in 1987 when he appeared in 21 episodes of the sitcom Second Chance (AKA Boys Will be Boys).
Reynolds first major acting job occurred in 1998 when he played Michael “Berg” Bergen on the aforementioned Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place.
Perry would go on to appear in 18 TV shows and movies between 1988 and his big break on Friends in 1994 – a role he performed until 2004.
In 2002, Ryan Reynolds hit the mainstream with his starring role in National Lampoon’s Van Wilder.
Between 1988 and 2002, Matthew Perry also appeared in the films Fools Rush In, Almost Heroes, Three to Tango and The Whole Nine Yards.
After Van Wilder, Reynolds would go on to appear in a series of mostly mediocre movies like Blade: Trinity, Green Lantern, R.I.P.D. and Self/less, before hitting it big with Deadpool in 2016.
So, is there any correlation? Does Matthew Perry have a right to think Ryan Reynolds “stole his character and delivery?”
Seems like a bit of a stretch, but this is Hollywood, so who knows?