09 November 2023 , 08:16
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Zac Efron has said he would be "honoured" to play Matthew Perry in a biopic.
The actor spoke fondly about his "mentor" and 17 Again co-star during a new interview, and expressed his honour at being considered for the role of the late actor in a potential retelling of his life story. Zac, who's set to play Kevin Von Erich in the upcoming Iron Claw movie, spoke about his time with Matthew.
He said: "I’m honoured to hear he was thinking of me to play him, I’d be honoured to do it. He was a mentor to me, and we made a really cool film together.
READ MORE: Matthew Perry's death certificate revealed 'deferred' cause of death
Matthew and Zac starred in 17 Again together (Offspring Entertainment/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)“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," he told People.
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In the 2009 comedy, Zac played the younger version of Matthew's character Mike O'Donnell. Their bond on set moved Matthew, who reportedly wanted the former High School Musical star in his movie.
Athenna Crosby - who was one of the last people to see Matthew before his tragic death - told Entertainment Tonight: "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.”
Matthew wanted Zac to play him in a biopic (Offspring Entertainment/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)
He was in good spirits before his death (NBCUniversal via Getty Images)She also said that the Chandler Bing star was in "extremely good spirits" when they had lunch together, with him chatting "enthusiastically about the things that he had coming up in his life". She noted that he was "so happy and vibrant".
Just 24 hours before he died, the former Friends star sat down with Athenna at the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles, California. The 54-year-old was found dead in his Los Angeles home after he reportedly drowned in his hot tub.
The news broke following a call to emergency services about a cardiac arrest, before he was found dead at the scene. It was reported at the time that no drugs were discovered at the scene and there was no indication of foul play. It was then later revealed that initial toxicology tests did not show any fentanyl or meth in Matthew's system at the time of death.