Zac Efron has admitted he’s “honoured” that Matthew Perry wanted him to play him in a biopic about his life.
The Friends star, best known for his role as Chandler Bing on the hit US sitcom, sadly passed away on October 28 following an apparent drowning.
The late 54-year-old’s pal Athenna Crosby later revealed that Matthew “wanted to make a movie about his life” starring Zac.
Speaking previously to Entertainment Tonight, Athenna said: “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.”
She added that the Friends star was so “enthusiastic” about the project and “absolutely looking forward to life” before his untimely death.
On Wednesday, Zac graciously responded to Athenna’s claim, telling PEOPLE: “I’m honoured to hear he was thinking of me to play him.”
“We’ll see. I’d be honoured to do it,” Zac continued.
The actor, who played the younger version of Matthew’s character in 17 Again, gushed: “He was a mentor to me, and we made a really cool film together.”
“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.”
@moviemaniacsZac Efron on his mentor Matthew Perry
