Kristin Davis is looking back on an unexpected “setup” with Matthew Perry that took place long before her Sex and the City days.
During the August 18 episode of iHeartRadio’s Are You a Charlotte? podcast, the actress, 60, recalled how a well-meaning attorney arranged for her and Perry to meet in the late ’90s.
“He’s not my lawyer, but he’s a nice lawyer, and I’ve been set up with Matthew Perry,” Davis told guest Brian Van Holt. She explained that the dinner happened sometime around 1997 to 1999, in between her run on Melrose Place and before she landed her role as Charlotte York on Sex and the City.
“It was at a house. It was a dinner party. It was so low-key,” she remembered.
Davis had gained recognition in 1995 when she joined Melrose Place as the scheming Brooke Armstrong, while Perry had already become a household name thanks to Friends, which premiered in 1994.
Reflecting on the evening, Davis said the guest list was filled with Hollywood faces, but the standout moment was sitting beside Perry.
“Matthew’s lovely. He sits next to me. And he’s talking about how thrilled he is, how happy they are on the set at Friends, and he was doing a film with Salma Hayek. I was like, ‘Wow, he’s so happy.’”
She contrasted Perry’s upbeat mood with her own experience on Melrose Place, which she admitted carried tension behind the scenes.
“I had been around Melrose,” she explained.
“It wasn’t the happiest place in a way and it was like stressy. There were 15 series regulars. Everyone had the feeling they might get cut or whatever. So I was like, ‘Wow, that’s amazing, you’re so happy.’”
Although the setup never turned into a romance, Davis remembers the encounter fondly.
Perry, who went on to become an enduring television icon, passed away in October 2023 at the age of 54 from the acute effects of ketamine.
For Davis, the story remains a bittersweet reminder of a lighthearted moment shared with the beloved Friends star at the height of his career.