Rob Lowe wants Zac Efron to play him in a biopic (original) (raw)

His son, John Owen Lowe, wasn't so sure, noting that he didn't think Efron would want the part.

Rob Lowe would love a certain East Side High alum to play him in a future biopic.

The 9-1-1: Lone Star actor was asked by his son, John Owen Lowe, who he’d like to see play him onscreen should his life story ever get the Hollywood treatment during a recent Entertainment Tonight interview. The only rule? It couldn’t be one of his kids.

Rob knew his answer immediately. “Zac Efron. Iron Claw?” He remarked, a reference Efron’s latest film in which he plays real-life professional wrestler Kevin Von Erich. “Amazing. He's amazing."

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Zac Efron and Rob Lowe.

Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty; Emma McIntyre/Getty

John Owen sarcastically agreed with his dad’s pick, adding, “No, yeah, Zac Efron would be great.”

Rob, a classic dad, appeared to take offense at his son’s tone. “Wait! I know that you love doing bits about me,” he said, “on what flimsy premise are you hanging that Zac Efron playing me wouldn’t be perfect casting?”

John Owen simply explained that it’d be funny to overhear his dad attempt to pitch the idea to Efron’s agents, which led Rob to clarify, “So it’s not about the casting, it’s about him wanting to do it?”

To which his son replied, "It would be great casting. I'm just saying I don't think Zac Efron would do it."

Efron is a solid choice to play Rob in a potential film. Not only do the pair share similar looks, but they both have the unique experience of becoming Hollywood heartthrobs early into their respective careers. During a 2013 interview with the late Larry King, Rob called the Ricky Stanicky actor "a little bit of a mini-me" and explained that he'd offered Efron life advice in the past.

“He has become a real good friend. Both of mine and my family — my sons adore him,” Rob said at the time. “When Zac comes to stay at the house, it’s like having an E.T. at the house.”

Rob isn’t the only actor who has expressed an interest in Efron playing them onscreen in the past. Matthew Perry, who starred opposite Efron in the 2009 film 17 Again, once revealed that he’d like his costar to play him in a potential biopic too. In the aftermath of Perry’s death at age 54 last year, Efron said that he was “hugely honored” by the late Friends star’s suggestion.

“It would be extraordinary to do," he told ExtraTV. "I'm still devastated by the fact that he is gone."