Matthew Perry’s Younger Sister Makes On-Screen Debut in Netflix Docuseries
Matthew Perry’s younger half-sister, Mia Perry Bovika, is stepping in front of the camera for the first time in a three-part Netflix documentary series titled The One About Matthew Perry. The project premieres on October 27, exactly one day before the third anniversary of the actor’s death.
Matthew Perry’s sister and friends remember the generous, funny and larger than life man who rose to global superstardom — and share how the actor’s honesty became his greatest legacy.The One About Matthew Perry, an intimate documentary series, premieres October 27. pic.twitter.com/WkQeiF8S3y
Bovika, a certified psychotherapist, holds a central role in the series as she discusses the life of the late Friends star. Growing up together in Los Angeles, Bovika pursued her profession partly to better understand her brother’s struggle with addiction. In promotional materials released for the documentary, she notes that Matthew heavily influenced the person she became and the work she dedicated her life to, adding that it took time before she felt ready to speak publicly about him.
Coping With Addiction and Medical Crises
The documentary revisits severe medical turning points in the actor’s life, including a 2018 incident where Perry’s colon burst due to opioid use, leaving him on temporary life support. Bovika recalls her initial reaction as anger, especially since she had just become a mother and expected Matthew to act as an uncle. When he returned home in poor condition with a colostomy bag and an open abdominal wound, Bovika began viewing his addiction as a “nāvējošu slimību” (lethal illness).
Bovika also addresses the ketamine infusions Perry received for depression in his final months. As a therapist, she remained skeptical of treating addiction with another mind-altering substance. She states that the family felt betrayed by Kenneth Iwamasa, Perry’s personal assistant of roughly 30 years. Iwamasa pleaded guilty and received a sentence of 41 months in a federal prison after admitting to administering ketamine supplied by Jasveen Sangha, including at least three doses on the day Perry died.
Reflecting on Friends and Final Years
The series examines the Season 7 finale of Friends, where Perry’s character, Chandler Bing, marries Monica Geller, played by Courteney Cox. Bovika told People magazine that the family watched the sequence with mixed emotions. While they understood the severity of his illness and the uncertainty of his future, they recognized that the storyline gave Chandler the spouse and children Perry desired for himself, as the actor never married and had no children.
