Zac Efron would be ‘honored’ to play Matthew Perry in Biopic
Zac Efron and Matthew Perry.
Getty Images (2)Zac Efron thinks of his late costar Matthew Perry – and hopes to honor him in the future.
“I’m still devastated that he’s gone,” said 36-year-old Efron Additional on Wednesday, Nov. 8.
According to the Friends‘Alum is leaving, his friend Athena Crosby revealed in an interview with ET Canada that Perry wanted Efron to play a younger version of him in a possible biopic.
“I was extremely honored. It would be an extraordinary thing to do,” Efron said Wednesday. “We’ll see what happens.”
According to Crosby, Perry said he was “going to ask [Efron] soon” about the possible role.
Kate Hudson, Bradley Whitford and more pay tribute to Matthew Perry
Celebrities are mourning the loss of actor Matthew Perry following his death at the age of 54. Perry died on Saturday, October 28 from an apparent drowning. Police responded to a call of someone in cardiac arrest at a Los Angeles home where they reportedly found the actor. unconscious in a jacuzzi. Ian Ziering, who worked with […]
In a separate interview with Entertainment tonight On Wednesday, Efron added: “If I think he was thinking of me for that role, I mean I would be honored to do that role, to be honest.”
Efron went on to call Perry “the best man in the world” and told the newspaper, “I had the best time of my life working with him.”
Efron played the younger version of Perry’s character, Mike O’Donnell, in the 2009 film again 17.
Michelle Trachtenberg, Zac Efron, Leslie Mann and Matthew Perry attend the premiere of ’17 Again’ on April 14, 2009 in Hollywood.
Kevin Winter/Getty ImagesNews of Perry’s death broke on October 28 following an apparent drowning at his Los Angeles home. He was “found unconscious in a detached Jacuzzi,” the Los Angeles Fire Department told CNN in a statement on October 30.
“A bystander raised the man’s head above the water and brought him to the edge, and firefighters pulled him from the water upon arrival,” the statement continued. “A quick medical assessment unfortunately revealed that the man was deceased prior to the arrival of the first responder.”
Perry’s cause of death has yet to be revealed pending a toxicology report.
Crosby said Perry was “in a good state of mind” prior to his death, she said We weekly exclusively on November 1. She spent time with the actor in the days before his death.
“He was talking the whole time and was super excited to hang out. It was great,” she added, noting that he “talked about his life and shared funny stories with me about his time in the industry.”
Matthew Perry’s ups and downs through the years
Matthew Perry has never shied away from opening up about his struggles after rising to fame for his role as Chandler Bing in Friends. “When [fame] happens, it looks like Disneyland for a while. For me it took about eight months, the feeling of ‘I did it, I’m happy, there’s no problem in the world.’ […]
Crosby continued, “He talked about how excited he was to have a second act and that he had struggles that put the brakes on his acting ambitions but had turned it all around and was looking forward to getting back into it.”
In addition to his successful acting career, Perry was dedicated to helping others struggling with substance abuse.
“When I die, I don’t want friends to be the first thing mentioned,” Perry told the “Q with Tom Power” podcast in November 2022. I want this to be the first thing that comes up, and I will spend the rest of my life proving that.”
Our special issue dedicated to Matthew Perry is now available.