Zac Efron responds to playing Matthew Perry in latter's biopic
Zac Efron has reacted to Matthew Perry's wish to see Efron play the F.R.I.E.N.D.S actor in his biopic. Efron told PEOPLE that he'll be "honored" to play Perry. This comes almost two weeks after Perry passed away on October 28. Efron was at The Iron Claw's premiere on Wednesday, when he said, "I'm honored to hear he was thinking of me to play him."
Why does this story matter?
Model Athenna Crosby, a friend of Perry's and one of the last few persons to have met him before his death told Entertainment Tonight that Perry "wanted to make a movie about his life." She further said that he wanted Efron to play the younger Perry. "He wanted Zac Efron to play him as a younger version [of himself]," Crossby told the outlet.
Efron, Perry famously acted together in '17 Again'
Speaking about the biopic, if it's ever made, Efron said, "We'll see. I'd be honored to do it." He further spoke about how devastated he felt upon hearing about his 17 Again co-star's passing away. "[Perry] was a mentor to me, and we made a really cool film together," he said, adding, "I looked up to him, I learned comedic timing from that guy."
'I've learned so much from him'
The 36-year-old actor also recalled their days of filming 17 Again. "When we were filming 17 Again it was so surreal for me to look across and have him be there because I've learned so much from him, from his whole life." In the movie, both Perry and Efron played Mike O'Donnell; while Perry played O'Donnell Senior, Efron played the younger, 17-year-old version.
All about Perry's death
Perry passed away, aged 54. His body was found inside the jacuzzi at his residence by his assistant. Perry was laid to rest on November 3 at a cemetery in Los Angeles. His F.R.I.E.N.D.S co-stars Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, and David Schwimmer attended his funeral. Aniston, who helped Perry with his addiction, is reportedly grappling with his death.
