Done is British, the other Canadian and American. One was 12 when he became world famous, the other 24, and for both it is a specific role that outshines their further careers – and, no daring prediction, will outshine them forever.
Matthew Perry, the older of the two, was Chandler Bing, one of the six “Friends” from the sitcom of the same name, which is one of the most successful series of all time. The younger, Tom Felton, was Draco Malfoy, the white-blonde antagonist of the hero in the Harry Potter films. A few days apart, both recently presented their autobiographies, which were also published in German at the same time. No co-author is given on either cover; so what we read is from Felton and Perry personally.
Most actors write their memoirs in their mature years, when they can look back with a level eye on a long career. If a book like this comes out much earlier, it may have something to do with the fact that professionally things are no longer going that well and there is free time to be filled, or with the fact that the author has experienced a lot in a relatively short time. Both are likely to apply to Perry, 53, and Felton, 35. Both books are worth reading, but hardly in the sense that they help nostalgic Friends or Harry Potter fans relive their carefree youth. Instead, they offer notable twists on the show’s old wisdom that money and fame don’t buy happiness. And neither those who – like Perry – have longed for it, nor those who – like Felton – are basically taken by surprise.
Emma Watson’s Foreword
The foreword was written by a colleague. Tom Felton’s book “Beyond Magic” is introduced by Emma Watson, who became and has remained a world star as Harry Potter’s friend Hermione. She finds the warmest words for Felton, whom she calls her “soulmate”: “He’s creative, sensitive and has a big heart. A person who treats everything and everyone with love.” The exact opposite of the nasty Draco, who he embodied in the eight Potter films. With Hollywood-style pathos, Watson proclaims: “The world is lucky to have you, and I’m even happier.” Because I have you for a friend.”
His life was far less fun than Chandler’s in Friends: Matthew Perry
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Image: Michelle Groskopf/NYT/Laif
Lisa Kudrow takes up pen for Matthew Perry, as Phoebe one of the three “Friends” women. She praises him as “charming, kind, sensitive, reasonable and rational”, but sounds a little more sober than Watson when she states: “Nice that you’re here, Matty.” Kudrow has also long known that it will be a good 30 years There was another Perry who was neither sweet nor charming nor sensible – and even if she writes: “I love you” at the end, she does not hide the fact that after “Friends” ended in 2004 she “didn’t see him regularly anymore”. saw. For a while, no question was asked more than how Perry was doing. She couldn’t answer them.
Now Perry does that himself, in no uncertain terms. On page 107 of his book he asks the reader to stop for five minutes and look at the clock: for five minutes his heart stood still. It was in an addiction clinic on Lake Geneva that he checked into at the end of 2020, the trigger was the anesthetic propofol. Eight of his ribs were broken during the cardiac massage that brought him back to life. That cost him a scene with Meryl Streep in the blockbuster Don’t Look Up, which ended up missing Perry.
