Zac Efron on Playing Matthew Perry in a Biopic: “I Would Be Honored”

Following the news of Matthew Perry’s sudden death last month, his co-stars and friends have been paying tribute to the comedic legacy. Most recently, Zac Efron remembered his late 17 Again co-star at the premiere of his new project, The Iron Claw, in Dallas, Texas. During Efron's interview with People, he addressed the news that Perry had expressed interest in having the actor portray him in a potential biopic.

"I'm honored to hear he was thinking of me to play him," Efron said. "We'll see. I'd be honored to do it."

Efron went on to say that the death of his friend, former co-star, and "mentor" has been “devastating” for him. "He was a mentor to me, and we made a really cool film together," he shared, referring to their 2009 rom-com 17 Again.

"I looked up to him, I learned comedic timing from that guy," he continued. "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."

Athenna Crosby, who was reportedly one of the last people to speak with Perry before his death, shared with Entertainment Tonight that Perry was “enthusiastic” about the plans he had in store for the future, including a biopic in which he hoped his co-star Efron would play the younger version of himself.

"He said that he wanted to make a movie about his life," Crosby told the publication. "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 [of himself] and that he was gonna ask him soon to do that. 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, so he was so optimistic and happy about everything that he wanted to do."