Zac Efron reacts to co-star Matthew Perry’s final thoughts on biopic
Zac Efron has reacted to the news that Matthew Perry had given him his blessing to play himself in a biopic.
The late Friends star, who died suddenly on October 28 at the age of 54, previously worked with the former High School Musical actor over a decade ago.
Back in 2009, Zac and Matthew starred together in a teen comedy film, titled 17 Again. In the movie, Zac played the teenage version of Matthew’s character Mike, a 37-year-old man who wishes he could start his life all over again.
Now, almost two weeks on from Matthew’s untimely passing, Zac has been revealing his reaction to the loss of his former co-star.
Speaking to People last night during the premiere for his film The Iron Claw, the 36-year-old was asked if he could share his thoughts when he first heard the news of Matthew’s death.
“Of course, I’m devastated for his loss. He was a mentor to me and we made a really cool film together,” he recalled.
“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 just learned so much from him from his whole life,” Zac explained.
The Greatest Showman star also addressed recent revelations that Matthew had been planning a biopic movie about his life, and that the late actor had Zac in mind for the role.
“I’m honoured to hear that he was thinking of me to play him, and we’ll see. I’d be honoured to do it,” he gushed in response.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Matthew’s friend Athenna Crosby previously detailed his plans for his biopic.
“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 [of himself] and that he was gonna ask him soon to do that,” she noted, adding that Matthew had been “looking forward to sharing more about his story.”
