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.
She never signed up for the whole rivalry narrative.
She talks about the weird public fixation on her marriage.
She explains the very simple reason her son's face stays off the internet.
Right, so Hailey Bieber is done with this. The whole thing. In a Wall Street Journal piece that dropped, she basically just said what everyone was thinking but would not print. Being constantly measured against other people, especially other women, has worn her out. She calls it frustrating, even exhausting, and laughs a little when asked about it. “Annoying” does not cover it and really, she never signed up for any of it. Who would?
It is weird, right? Here she is, with Rhode hitting these insane goals like that Sephora launch, the whole e.l.f. Beauty deal worth and yet a chunk of the conversation still orbits this tired, manufactured drama. Everyone is still obsessed with her marriage and old drama, and yes, this is happening in 2025. Can we not?
Hailey Bieber says being compared to other women online drains her Getty Images
So what is the deal with these comparisons?
She did not even really get into names. She did not have to. The context is just... there. When they asked about feeling pitted against others, her answer was blunt. "It is always annoying being pitted against other people. I did not ask for that." And then she nailed the part about public perception. Once people decide on a story in their heads, that is it. Once people invent a story about you, it sticks. But it is theirs, not yours. Trying to rewrite it is pointless. Apparently, her publicist even cut off a question heading towards a specific name. But the point was made.
Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber attend the 2022 MLS Cup Final Getty Images
Is there any real competition with other brands?
This is where she completely detached from the nonsense. Zero competition. She said there is space for everybody. Everyone. She only feels a spark if she is inspired by someone, not threatened. It is a pretty mature take, honestly. While the internet fuels these fake wars, she is just over here building her thing and it is refreshing.
This is the part that is actually important. They keep his face private on purpose, they will wait until he can decide for himself. It is not a PR stunt, it is parenting. It is giving him a childhood, or as much of one as you can when your parents are global superstars. She and Justin post him, but you never see him. It is a boundary. A firm one.
We should probably note this is not new for her. Even last year, on Bloomberg, she did not hold back. She described the whole rivalry narrative as cruel and shocking, pointing out that setting women against each other over a man is just wrong. It seems like she still feels the same. Nothing has really changed, has it?
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