Zac Efron Gets Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame: Watch
The actor gave a heartfelt speech during the special honor and shouted out former co-star Matthew Perry, who died earlier this year.
Zac Efron, 36, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Monday. The actor accepted the honor and expressed gratitude in a heartfelt speech [WATCH HERE] he made at the public event. One of the highlights of the memorable moment was when he mentioned his 17 Again co-star, the late Matthew Perry, who died at the age of 54 in October.
“Collaborating with him and [director Burr Steers] — it was so much fun and really did propel me and motivate me in so many ways,” he said during the speech, which can be seen below. “It really pushed me into the next chapter of my career, and for that, thank you so much, Matthew. Thinking about you a lot today.”
The sweet shoutout brought on cheers and applause from the crowd and proved to be bittersweet. Zac, who broke out in the industry when he starred in the 2006 film, High School Musical, also reflected on his successful career, in his speech, and thanked his fans. He also mentioned his family, who he referred to as his “first fans.”
In addition to Zac himself, his The Iron Claw costar Jeremy Allen White, director Sean Durkin, and his friend Miles Teller, spoke at the ceremony. “For our generation, Zac was and is the first true superstar to come out of our class,” Miles said in his speech when reflecting on when he first met Zac during the filming of their 2014 movie That Awkward Moment.
Zac’s star ceremony comes just a few weeks after it was reported Matthew wanted Zac to portray him in his own biopic. “He said that he wanted to make a movie about his life,” Athenna Crosby, who was the last woman seen with the Friends star, told Entertainment Tonight, on November 1. “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.”
Zac is the 2,767th entertainment industry figure to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, per an official press release.