Zac Efron “Honored” That ’17 Again’ Co-star Matthew Perry Wanted Him For Biopic

Greg Evans
·2 min read
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Zac Efron says he is “honored to hear” that his late 17 Again co-star Matthew Perry had recently expressed a wish to see the younger actor portray the Friends star in a biopic.

“I’m honored to hear he was thinking of me to play him,” Efron told People magazine yesterday during a Dallas red carpet interview for the film The Iron Claw. “We’ll see. I’d be honored to do it.”

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Continued Efron: “He was a mentor to me, and we made a really cool film together. I looked up to him, I learned comedic timing from that guy. I mean, 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.”

Efron portrayed a younger version of Perry’s character in the 2009 comedy fantasy 17 Again.

RELATED: Director James Burrows Says ‘Friends’ Castmates “Destroyed” By Matthew Perry Death: “It’s A Brother Dying”

There are no immediate plans for a biopic on Perry, who died October 28, though the actor reportedly told friend Athenna Crosby that he hoped to develop a movie based on his bestselling 2022 book Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir.

Crosby, who was photographed dining with Perry the day before his October 28 death at 54, told Entertainment Tonight Canada, “He said that he wanted to make a movie about his life, and he had worked with Zac Efron in the past on a movie. He said that he wanted Zac Efron to play him as a younger version and that he was gonna ask him soon to do that.”

RELATED: David Schwimmer’s Generosity On ‘Friends’ Rediscovered Following Matthew Perry’s Death

“He was just looking forward to sharing more about his story and his recovery from addiction, and really championing that cause to help more people,” Crosby said. “So he was so optimistic and happy about everything that he wanted to do.”

Perry was found unresponsive in a hot tub at his L.A. home, with no signs of foul play or illegal drugs on the scene. A cause of death is pending.

RELATED: “The One Where Our Hearts Are Broken”: ‘Friends’ Creators Mourn Matthew Perry

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