Actor Zac Efron opened up about playing late co-star Matthew Perry in a biopic.
In an interview with People on Wednesday, Efron, 36, spoke about being picked by Perry to portray him in a future biopic. The pair co-starred in the 2009 comedy “17 Again.”
“I’m honored to hear he was thinking of me to play him. We’ll see. I’d be honored to do it,” he said.
Speaking on Perry’s death, Efron said he was “devastated” and recalled working with the “Friends” star in the movie where he played the younger version of Perry’s character Mike O’Donnell.
Efron shared:
“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.”
Entertainment television host Athenna Crosby, who was seen with Perry the day before he died at Hotel Bel-Air, previously told People he “wanted to make a movie about his life and have a biopic made” — and he “wanted Zac Efron, who’s played him already, to play him again because he said he did such a good job.”
On Oct. 28, Perry was found dead in his jacuzzi following an apparent drowning at his Los Angeles home, TMZ reported. He was 54 years old.
Two days after his passing, Perry’s former “Friends” castmates Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, and David Schwimmer spoke out in a joint statement to People.
“We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family,” they wrote.
The statement continued, “There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.”
“In time we will say more, as and when we are able. For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world,” they concluded.
“Friends” aired on NBC from 1994-2004.