Matthew Perry: Damage Control

By Stephen M. Silverman

05/11/1998 at 12:00 AM EDT

A day after "Friends" star Matthew Perry, 31, released a statement that he had checked into an undisclosed rehabilitation facility on advice of doctors, Perry's spokeswoman on Tuesday adamantly denied a report from an online gossip columnist that production had been halted on the actor's latest movie, "Servicing Sara" with Elizabeth Hurley, reports Reuters. Similarly, NBC and Warner Bros. Television, which produce "Friends," issued a statement wishing Perry well, insisting the show would remain in production (with original episodes continuing to air as scheduled), and acknowledging that they could shoot around him for the time being. Speaking to reporters, however, NBC Entertainment President Jeff Zucker expressed a measure of doubt regarding Perry's long-term prognosis career-wise, admitting that producers "don't expect (Perry's rehab) to have a big impact, but it's still early and we can't say beyond that." As for the movie "Sara," Perry's spokeswoman Lisa Kasteler said, "I think they've got several days of scenes to do without Matthew, so they are in production."