‘Friends’ Cast Still Destroyed and Who Did Matthew Perry Want To Play Him In A Movie About His Life

FILE PHOTO: The cast of the American TV sitcom “Friends” Courteney Cox, Matt Le Blanc, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer and Jennifer Aniston pose for pictures at Channel 4 Television Centre, in London, Britain March 25, 1998. Russell Boyce/REUTERS/File Photo

This isn’t the most shocking news you’ll hear today:  The cast of “Friends” is still “destroyed” by Matthew Perry’s death.

James Burrows directed 15 episodes of the show, including the pilot.  He reached out to the girls… Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, and Lisa Kudrow… after the news broke.

He says, quote, “He was part of a family, and he was the first one to not be part of that family anymore…they were destroyed.  It’s a brother dying.”

On another note, Athenna Crosby …one of the last people to see Matthew alive … says Matthew wanted to make a movie about his life, and he had an actor in mind to play the lead.  Quote, “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.”

Some of you may recall that they’d already worked together on the 2009 comedy “17 Again”, where Matthew magically transforms into his teenage self…played by Zac.

SOURCES: Hollywood Reporter & New York Post