Zac Efron honors late Matthew Perry at his Hollywood Walk of Fame

Zac Efron, the star of “High School Musical” and “The Iron Claw”, received his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Monday, December 11, 2023. 

During the ceremony, he paid a heartfelt tribute to his friend and former co-star Matthew Perry, who passed away on October 28, 2023.

Efron and Perry shared the screen in the 2009 comedy “17 Again”, where Efron played a younger version of Perry’s character. Efron said that he learned a lot from Perry, who was best known for his role as Chandler Bing on the hit sitcom “Friends”.

“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,” Efron said.

Efron also revealed that Perry had wanted him to play him in a biopic based on his memoir, “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing”, which chronicled his struggles with addiction and recovery. Perry had reportedly told his friend Athenna Crosby that he was planning to ask Efron to star in the movie, just a day before his death.

“I’m honored to hear he was thinking of me to play him. We’ll see. I’d be honored to do it,” Efron said.

Perry was found dead at his Los Angeles home at the age of 54, with no signs of foul play or illegal drugs on the scene. The cause of death is still pending. Perry’s death shocked the world and his “Friends” co-stars, who paid tribute to him on social media and in interviews.

Efron said that he was “still devastated by the fact that he is gone” and that he was “thinking about him a lot today”. He added that Perry was “just the best guy in the world” and that he hoped to honor his legacy.