Zac Efron Expresses Enthusiasm to Portray Matthew Perry in Biopic

Zac and Matthew starred in 2009’s romantic comedy, 17 Again, where Matthew’s 37-year-old character becomes a teenaged version of himself, played by the former High School Musical star.

Athena Crosby, a close friend of the late actor, previously told People magazine that Perry "wanted to make a movie about his life and have a biopic made" and that he "wanted Zac Efron, who's played him already to play him again because he said he did such a good job".

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Promoting his new film The Iron Claw – which follows the legendary Von Erich brothers in the bitter professional wrestling world of the early 1980s – Zac has responded warmly to the suggestion.

Speaking to People, Zac told them: "I'm honoured to hear he was thinking of me to play him ... I'd be honoured to do it."

He continued by adding: "[Perry] 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."

It was recently revealed that the actor forced Friends writers to scrap a storyline in the long-running sitcom which involved Chandler (his character) cheating on his partner, Couretney Cox's Monica.