Matthew Perry wanted '17 Again' costar Zac Efron to play him in a biopic about his life to share more of his story and battle with addiction, friend says

• Matthew Perry wanted to cast Zac Efron in a movie about his life before his death.
• Perry's friend, Athenna Crosby, told Entertainment Tonight, "he was gonna ask him soon to do that."

Matthew Perry planned to ask Zac Efron to play him in a movie about his life, one of the late star's friends told Entertainment Tonight.

Athenna Crosby was photographed speaking to the "Friends" star the day before he died. She said that he seemed "enthusiastic" about life and had wanted to work on a biopic that would highlight his experience recovering from alcohol and drug addiction.

"He said that he wanted to make a movie about his life," Crosby said.

"And he had worked with Zac Efron in the past on a movie, and he said that he wanted Zac Efron to play him as a younger version [of himself] and that he was gonna ask him soon to do that," she added.

Crosby also said that the actor was "looking forward to sharing more about his story and his recovery from addiction, and really championing that cause to help more people."

She added that "he was so optimistic and happy about everything that he wanted to do."

Representatives for Efron did not respond to a request for comment from Insider sent outside regular working hours.

Efron previously played a younger version of Perry in the 2009 film "17 Again," a comedy-drama about a 37-year-old man with a failing marriage, played by Perry, who magically transforms back into his 17-year-old self, played by Efron.

While promoting his memoir, "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing" last year, Perry told SiriusXM's Jessica Shaw that he had approached the "High School Musical" actor for another role in a film he had written.

Perry said that he wrote the lead role for himself only to realize he was 20 years too old for the part.

He said his ideal pick was Zac Efron, "but he said no. So, we've got to find someone who says yes."

Authorities found Perry unresponsive in his hot tub at his home on October 28. The star's cause of death is not yet clear because autopsy results proved inconclusive.

The actor played Chandler Bing on "Friends" for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004. Social-media users have widely shared clips of his character's best moments and episodes since the news of his death broke.