Access Hollywood’s Shaun Robinson was on the set with the Matthew Perry during the taping of Ally McBeal and talked with Matthew about the faster pace of the “dramedy”, the very “un-Chandler-like” character he will portray, and the Friends negotiations.

Shaun Robinson: Matthew, this is the first time that we’ve seen you on another show since you started Friends. Why did you decide to take this role? Were you short on cash? (laughs)

Matthew Perry: That was it — short on some cash. (laughs) No, this came about because I’ve been a fan of Ally McBeal since the show has been on. I bumped into a producer at a dinner party, and I mentioned that it would be fun to come and do the show. It came out of a five minute phone conversation with David Kelley where I said what I’d like to do and he said ‘I think I got it.’ Four days later came this great character.

Shaun: So David actually wrote the part with you in mind?

Matthew: Yes, he did. It was very flattering.

Shaun: You are an attorney on the show and you are coming to the firm for a job, right?

Matthew: Yes, I’m an attorney. I have a job interview with Ally in the first scene, and what I start to do is kind of pick apart her life.

Shaun: Uh oh, that’s all she needed at this time in her life. How cruel of you!

Matthew: Yes, it is cruel. Well, he’s a cruel guy. He is a much meaner fellow than I’ve played in the past.

Shaun: Really, so that must have been pretty fun for you?

Matthew: Yes, it has been fun. This kind of guy gets to say the things that people don’t usually say, they just think.

Shaun: Are you and Ally going to be going head to head?

Matthew: Yes, we kind of bump up against each other, and I analyze her life. I guess I’m the kind of guy that she shouldn’t be with.

Shaun: This is going to be a two hour episode, right?

Matthew: Yes, they’re doing a special Ally McBeal that is two hours and Christina Ricci is in it as well. I think it’s going to be pretty cool.

Shaun: What’s it like coming on a show without a studio audience and doing an hour instead of a half-hour sitcom?

Matthew: I asked the people of the crew to just laugh and applaud, which screws up the timing. (joking) No, it’s a much different thing. It’s more like movies that I’ve done and it’s just a very fast pace — so it’s hard to get used to. I don’t know how Calista does it everyday.

Shaun: Did Calista give you some pointers?

Matthew: Yes, she’s been very nice — a pleasure to work with. She said ‘don’t worry about it too much, this is going to be great.’

Shaun: Did you have to get any special permission from NBC to do this?

Matthew: Yes, they were very kind. They let me out to do this and it’s understood that it’s kind of a one-shot deal. It was just something that I thought was going be an interesting challenge and it has been.

Shaun: Is the character at all similar to Chandler?

Matthew: He’s pretty different — he looks a lot like Chandler, but he’s different. He’s just a more edgy guy. It’s fun to play him and come in and be kind of mean.

Shaun: We talked to you before about how last year the Friends negotiations came down to the wire. You made so many people happy when you came back. How were things different this time?

Matthew: This time it was a very amiable situation. The show had this nice resurgence, and we all had a lot of fun this year. It seemed a little bit rushed if the show just ended like this so everybody kind of wanted it to work out and it did.

Shaun: You talked about the resurgence of the show. How surprised were you that it did so well?

Matthew: Well, it’s kind of funny to think that there were people who were saying it was a comeback. A comeback from where? We’ve always been doing pretty well, and we’ve always had a lot of fun doing the show. After September 11th, people were seeking ‘comfort characters’ and they found that in the show and that’s very flattering. We’re having a lot of fun again and the Rachel pregnancy storyline has been really fun.

Shaun: How would you like to see that all turn out?

Matthew: Well, I’d like to see a healthy baby. (laughs) I’ve been asked a lot about how they are going to wrap up the show and I don’t know that. The brilliant writers sit in a room and figure out all that stuff.

Shaun: Let me ask you one more thing about the negotiations. Was there anybody on the fence at all?

Matthew: No, in general, as I said, it was pretty amiable. Everybody was kind of in agreement on all sides.

Shaun: Are you at all nervous about what will happen after the show ends?

Matthew: Not really. It’s been a wonderful chapter in my life, and eventually I’ll be ready to move on and do other things. I’m pretty interested in doing some films and taking some time off to play a lot of tennis, and things like that.