Hollywood actor Zac Efron remembered his late 17 Again co-star Matthew Perrywhile walking the red carpet for the world premiere of his new film The Iron Claw in Dallas, Texas.
He told People that he would love to play Perry, who died last month at the age of 54 in a future biopic as Perry previously expressed he would want Efron for the role.
"I'm honored to hear he was thinking of me to play him," Efron said. "We'll see. I'd be honored to do it."
Noting that he is "devastated" by Perry's loss, Efron also recounts fond memories he has of filming the 2009 comedy 17 Again alongside the Friends star.
"He was a mentor to me, and we made a really cool film together," he says. "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."
According to People, in 17 Again, Efron played a younger version of Perry's Mike O'Donnell. The film centers on 37-year-old Mike, who has regrets about how his life turned out until he gets the chance for a do-over when he falls into a time vortex and becomes a teenager again.
Perry "wanted to make a movie about his life and have a biopic made," according to Entertainment reporter Athenna Crosby, who was pictured dining with Perry at the Hotel Bel-Air the day before he passed away.
Perry also "wanted Zac Efron, who's played him already, to play him again because he said he did such a good job," Crosby previously told People.
