Will Friedle, the voice of Terry McGinnis/Batman in the animated series Batman Beyond, recently found himself in a bittersweet position: browsing the estate auction of a fellow Batman enthusiast who happened to be Friends star Matthew Perry.
On Thursday, July 9, during an episode of his“Pod Meets World”podcast, the Boy Meets World alum revealed that he’d spotted a mass email announcing the sale of Perry’s belongings and immediately started hunting through Heritage Auctions for something special.“He was a big Batman fan,”Friedle, 49, explained, and he wanted to snag something that combined both of their passions—a piece of memorabilia that Perry had owned that was Batman-related. Sadly, it wasn’t meant to be.“There’s a couple of things I was going to bid on and I couldn’t make it work,”Friedle said.“I was so pissed I couldn’t make it work.”
The auction, which launched last month, was no ordinary estate sale. Heritage Auctions coordinated a charity event to sell Perry’s personal items and collections, with all proceeds going directly to The Matthew Perry Foundation—a nonprofit established by Perry’s family after his death in October 2023 at age 54. The foundation supports individuals battling addiction, a cause that mattered deeply to Perry himself.
Heritage Auctions executive vice president Joe Maddalena captured the heart of the effort in a May statement:“Matthew Perry was someone people felt they truly knew. Through his work and his honesty, he built a connection with audiences around the world that went far beyond the screen. This auction brings together the personal items and passions that shaped his life, offering fans a meaningful way to connect with his story.”More importantly, he added, it allowed that connection to do real good.
The auction’s scope was sweeping. Beyond Perry’s Batman collection, the sale included Friends scripts, the 1995 Screen Actors Guild Award Perry won, and artwork from renowned artists Banksy and Mel Bochner. Warner Bros. even donated two tickets to the 2027 premiere of Robert Pattinson’s The Batman II—a fitting nod to Perry’s love for the character that Friedle once voiced.
What makes Friedle’s near-miss particularly poignant is the intersection of two passions: a lifelong love of a character that defined a generation of animated storytelling, and a genuine connection to a fellow traveler in recovery. The fact that he tried—and came up short—speaks to how Perry’s legacy continues to inspire and touch people, even in the smallest, most unexpected ways.
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.