Zac Efron Says He Would Be ‘Honored’ to Play Matthew Perry in a Biopic
Zac Efron opened up about his 17 Again costar Matthew Perry, and said he would be “honored” to play him in a biopic about his life.
During the premiere of his new film The Iron Claw in Dallas, Texas, on Wednesday, Efron told People that Perry “was a mentor” and that he learned comedic timing from him. “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,” he said. “I’m honored to hear that he was thinking of me to play him. We’ll see. I’d be honored to do it.”
Perry died Oct. 28, at the age of 54, in an apparent drowning at his home in Los Angeles. The official cause of death, however, still hasn’t been determined and will reportedly require additional investigation by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office.
Athenna Crosby, who was with Perry a day before his death, previously told ET Canada that the actor “wanted to make a movie about his life.”
“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,” Crosby told the outlet. “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.”
Perry had long been open with his own battles with addictions, notably in his memoir Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing. During his life, the actor also transformed his own Malibu home into Perry House, a men’s sober living facility for those struggling with substance abuse that operated for two years before it was closed in 2015.
Following his death, the Matthew Perry Foundation was established to continue the star’s efforts to help those dealing with addiction. The organization was created by the actor’s team and maintained by the National Philanthropic Trust.