Zac Efron says it would be ‘extraordinary’ to play Matthew Perry in biopic as the ‘Friends’ star wanted
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Zac Efron has shared his response to finding out that Matthew Perry wanted the “High School Musical” actor to play him in a biopic.
“I was hugely honored,” Efron told Extra TV during the premiere for his upcoming movie “The Iron Claw” in Dallas on Wednesday.
“It would be extraordinary to do and, of course, I’m just really still devastated by the fact he’s gone. Yeah, we’ll see what happens,” he added.
Last week, Athenna Crosby, who confirmed she was the woman seen having lunch with Perry at the Hotel Bel-Air the day before he died at the age of 54, said the “Friends” actor was “doing great” and was going to ask Efron “soon” to play him in a biopic.
“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 and he said that he wanted Zac Efron to play him as a younger version in an up-and-coming biopic about (himself) and that he was going to ask him soon to do that,” she told Entertainment Tonight.
“He was just so looking forward to sharing more about his story and his recovery from addiction and really championing that cause to help more people,” Crosby added.
Efron and Perry costarred in the 2009 comedy film “17 Again,” in which Efron played the younger version of Perry’s character, Mike O’Donnell, a 37-year-old dad who is transformed back into his 17-year-old self in a chance to rewrite his life.
Perry revealed last year that Efron had, however, once turned down an opportunity to play a younger version of him.
Speaking on SiriusXM’s radio show “Pop Culture Spotlight with Jessica Shaw,” he said he had just finished the script for a screenplay that he wanted to direct.
“I have a small part in it. I wrote it for myself and then realized I’m 20 years too old to play this,” Perry said.
He added that the dream younger version of himself “was Zac Efron, but he said no. So we’ve got to find somebody who says yes.”
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