Zac Efron has bared his soul about his old co-star Matthew Perry, with whom he appeared in the 2009 comedy film 17 Again.
As he received a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame earlier this week, Zac paid a moving tribute to Matthew, who died in October aged 54.
Now, in a new cover interview with VarietyZac opened up about the fact that Matthew's passing “affected me a lot.”
He reflected on the experience of working with the Friends icon, saying, “He was in a unique position for me in my career and in my life.”
The 36-year-old movie star added: “I hold the time we shared together very dearly. I thought about him a lot, every day.'
Zac Efron has bared his soul about his old co-star Matthew Perry, with whom he appeared in the 2009 comedy film 17 Again (pictured)
Now, in a new cover interview with Variety, Zac opened up about the fact that Matthews' 'passing has had a big impact on me'
Reflecting on stardom, he said: 'It can be incredibly lonely being an actor and being in the spotlight. It can certainly be isolating.'
Zac's advice was to build a supportive circle because 'It's really important to reach out to friends and maintain relationships where you can talk and share stories. I wish I had had the opportunity to do that with Matthew over the years.”
A few days before Halloween this year, Matthew was found dead in his hot tub at home at the age of 54, reportedly drowned.
Over the years, Matthew has been open about his struggles with drugs and alcohol, but initial toxicology reports showed he had no meth or fentanyl in his system when he died, and authorities found no illegal drugs at his home.
He had prescription medications in the home, including antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications, according to a law enforcement mole who spoke to TMZ.
In his new Variety cover story published Thursday, Zac also candidly discussed how hard he worked on his upcoming film Iron Claw.
Ahead of the pro-wrestling biopic's premiere, the heartthrob opened up about the intense preparation for the film and admitted he became “obsessed.”
“That need to be perfect — it became an obsession,” he said of working on the film — which opens in theaters on December 22. 'It was a special focus for months. And your life goes out the window during the preparation.”
Reflecting on the experience of working with the Friends icon, he said: 'He was in a unique position for me in my career and in my life'; depicted in 17 Again
The 36-year-old movie star added: 'I hold the time we shared together very dearly,' revealing: 'I thought about him a lot, every day'; depicted in 17 Again
Zac also talked about his upcoming film, Iron Claw, in his Variety cover story published Thursday
Zac, far left, transformed his body so much he was unrecognizable
He had to look very muscular and built to play the best wrestler
For his latest project, he told the outlet that he worked out several hours a day and did volume training to gain 30 pounds of muscle mass.
He also revealed that he would actually wrestle during the filming of the matches, which lasted seven to fifteen minutes, several times a day on consecutive days in a week.
He noted that his intense training prepared him for that.
“I was able to combine old-school bodybuilding and Olympic lifting, and really get that specific look of professional wrestlers,” he explained, adding that it was “really hard.”
Efron explained that the physical transformation helped him inhabit his role, but like his character, he “withdrew.”
“It was an unforeseen ally,” he said. 'With all that weight you don't feel normal.
“And the muscle soreness that came later was tremendous,” he admitted.
'It's one thing to manage that during the preparation: you don't have to be super social. I noticed that I was quite withdrawn'.
Ahead of the pro-wrestling biopic's premiere, the 36-year-old actor opened up about the intense preparation he put into preparing for the film and admitted he became “obsessed.”
He also revealed that he would actually wrestle during the filming of the matches, which lasted seven to fifteen minutes, several times a day on consecutive days in a week.
The High School Musical alumnus said his perfectionist tendencies often get the better of him and he has to remind himself that “life is way too short.”
“We have to have fun,” he said. 'I have to remind myself that this should be fun.
“If being a perfectionist is a thorn in my side from now on, then it's like life is way too short.”
Speaking from his own experience, he said growing up in the entertainment industry can be difficult and “lonely” because “what you go through matters little.”
“The goal is always the next mission, the next movie, and making sure everyone else is really happy,” he added. 'It can be very lonely sometimes.'
On that note, he said he would advise his younger self, who had just filmed High School Musical and become famous, to “relax.”
He said he would tell himself, “It's not the end of the world.”