Highlights
- Matthew Perry wrote a screenplay with Zac Efron in mind, but Efron rejected the film offer, leading Perry to find another lead actor.
- Perry also considered Aubrey Plaza for the role in his screenplay, but ultimately she did not end up taking the project.
- Despite the rejection, Efron and Perry had a positive experience working together on the film 17 Again and had a unique rehearsal process where they read each other’s lines.
Looking back at his career, Matthew Perry was able to shine on TV, and he also had notable roles in film as well. Perry almost appeared in Don’t Look Up with a stacked cast, but told Stephen Colbert the emotional reason he rejected it which had to do with a health scare. Sadly, the actor passed away at the age of 54 less than a year after the interview.
For the time being, fans will look back at his past work, which includes 17 Again alongside Zac Efron. Despite their work together, it seems like Zac Efron wasn’t interested in reuniting with Perry.
We’ll reveal why he turned down Matthew’s film offer, and who else the actor had in mind for his screenplay. In addition, we’ll take a look at Efron’s time with Perry in 17 Again back in 2009.
Matthew Perry Wrote A Screenplay With Zac Efron In Mind But Was Rejected By The Actor
In late 2022, Matthew Perry revealed Zac Efron turned down playing a younger version of him in a new movie he had in mind. Perry had written an entire screenplay for the film, and had experience with the actor given their work together in 17 Again. Despite the familiarity between the two, it wasn’t meant to be as Efron rejected the offer.
Perry revealed with Culture Spotlight, “I finished a screenplay that we’re out with to some people. I want to direct that,” he said. “I have a small part in it. I wrote it for myself and then realized I’m 20 years too old to play this. So we’re trying to cast the leads now.”
He continues, “He (Efron) said no, so we’ve got to find someone who says yes.”
For the film, Perry had other major actors in mind and one of them was none other than Aubrey Plaza.
“Aubrey Plaza almost did it,” he said. “And that would have been perfect because I think she’s great. There’s some dramatic stuff in this too. She came very close, and it would have been perfect.”
Despite the snub from Efron, the two worked together just fine during 17 Again.
Despite The Rejection, Zac Efron Had A Positive Experience Working Alongside Matthew Perry In 17 Again
Released back in 2009, 17 Again was a major success. The rom/com featured a stacked cast with Zac Efron, Matthew Perry and Leslie Mann center stage for the film. It was able to generate $139 million at the box office off a $40 million budget.
Alongside Movie.ie, Efron discussed what it was like working alongside Matthew Perry during the project. During the interview with Zac Efron for 17 Again, the actor had great feedback about working with Perry.
He revealed, “As soon as they suggested Matthew, I couldn’t even imagine what he was like as a teenager so that was just very exciting to me.”
Efron would go on to admit that he was given advice from his father heading into the role with Perry.
“I told my dad; ‘All I really have to go on here is how you raised me, and the advice you gave me, and the lectures you gave me,’ and he just shook his head and said, ‘You better not be too honest. You better not give everything away. I think he was pretty nervous about the whole thing.”
The two had a great experience together, and it was also especially unique when it came to rehearsals between the two actors.
Zac Efron And Matthew Perry Were Reading Each Other’s Line During 17 Again
Figuring out the characters between Efron and Perry took place during rehearsals. Efron got to know Perry behind the scenes, and the two got a better understanding of one another.
During their interview with MTV, Efron and Perry discussed the process of 17 Again.
Efron revealed, “We went back and forth. I think it was all mixed up. Matt shot a couple days, and I’d come in and shoot. I was able to see a couple of scenes that Matt had done for sure, but I know that most of the work we did on figuring out the character was just done in rehearsals. We had a couple days where we were able to just hang out and talk, and figure out the key moments — that really it was Matt’s line that I was just kind of saying.”
Perry would also reveal that the two read each other’s lines during rehearsals.
“I finally realized like on day five why Zac was looking at me so much [laughs]. But yes, Burr Steers, who directed the movie, is a very smart guy. He thought it was a good idea for us to rehearse together and read each other’s lines for each other. So, that was a big part of the rehearsal process. And he would say, “How would you say this?” And I would say, “How would you say this?” It ended up being kind of a cool part of the movie, I think.”
A unique experience for the two and one that boosted both of their career.
Source: NewsFinale
