'We actually beat up Justin Trudeau,' Matthew Perry recalls on Kimmel
Jessica Wong | CBC News | Posted: March 16, 2017 2:51 PM | Last Updated: March 16, 2017
'This is terrible. I was a stupid kid,' Friends actor notes
While most people eagerly share their stories about encountering Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, actor Matthew Perry has one story he's "not proud of."
An old friend of the American-born, Ottawa-raised actor reminded him that as kids, "we actually beat up Justin Trudeau," Perry recounted Wednesday night on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
"I think he was excelling at a sport that we weren't, so it was pure jealousy. And, you know, we beat him up," the Friends actor recalled.
"His dad was prime minister, but I don't think that's the reason we beat him up. I think he was the only kid in school we could beat up ... I'm not bragging about this. This is terrible. I was a stupid kid."
Born in the U.S., Perry moved to Ottawa with his Canadian mother after his parents split during his infancy. She found a job working for the Liberal Party and eventually became a press aide to then-prime minister Pierre Trudeau.
Perry, who recalled being a few years older than Justin Trudeau, attended Rockcliffe Park Public School with him. The Ottawa primary school is where many politicians and ambassadors send their children.
"I think I was rather instrumental in him going to such heights, becoming prime minister," Perry quipped about the younger Trudeau to Kimmel.
"No, no. I feel shame. I don't want to think about it."