Matthew Perry believed 'Friends' could fix drug addiction: 'It did not'

Matthew Perry is spilling the beans on how his Friends cast members helped him through drug addiction.

The actor told PEOPLE that he always felt comfortable around Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer and Lisa Hayden on the sets of the show.

"They were understanding, and they were patient," he said. "It's like penguins. In nature, when one is sick or very injured, the other penguins surround it and prop it up and walk around until that penguin can walk on its own. And that's kind of what the cast did for me.

Speaking about his coping mechanisms, Perry continued: "I thought being funny all the time was how I would get through. I thought [Friends] was going to fix everything. It didn't."