Zac Efron Praises Costar Joey King’s ‘Genius’ Comedy Skills as ‘Matthew Perry-Esque’ in A Family Affair

Zac Efron costarred with Matthew Perry in 2009’s ’17 Again’

Joey King reminds her A Family Affair costar Zac Efron of Matthew Perry.

In a recent conversation for Entertainment Weekly, Efron, 36, likened King’s “physical comedy” to that of his late 17 Again costar Matthew Perry.

“When you walk in the room when Nicole [Kidman] and I are hooking up — it’s one of the funniest things ever,” Efron told King, 24.

He continued, “I think that was one of the most brilliant physical-comedy bits I’ve seen in a long time. That was very funny. Matthew Perry-esque. It was genius.”

“Oh, that’s so nice of you,” replied King. “Oh, gosh.”

Perry died at age 54 on Oct. 28, 2023, from acute effects of the prescription drug ketamine. Since then, the Friends alum’s death has been the source of an ongoing criminal investigation.

Back in November, Efron told PEOPLE he would be open to playing Perry in a potential future biopic, after the late actor previously expressed he would want Efron for the role.

“I’m honored to hear he was thinking of me to play him,” the Iron Claw actor said. “We’ll see. I’d be honored to do it.”

Noting that he was “devastated” by the loss of Perry, Efron also recounted fond memories he has of filming their “really cool” 2009 comedy 17 Again together.

“He was a mentor to me,” Efron told PEOPLE of Perry. “I looked up to him, I learned comedic timing from that guy. I mean, when we were filming 17 Again, it was so surreal for me to look across and have him be there, because I’ve learned so much from him, from his whole life.”

Efron stars in A Family Affair as a movie star named Chris Cole, while King plays Zara, a young woman working as Chris’ assistant whose mom (Kidman, 57) becomes romantically entangled with Chris.

PEOPLE shared first-look photos from A Family Affair back in April, with Efron calling the film “funny, romantic and entertaining.”

Director Richard LaGravenese told PEOPLE at the time that the spark between Efron and Kidman in the film was “an answered prayer — something you hope for but can’t plan.”

“The interplay between Joey and Zac’s characters as an assistant and star is so much fun,” he added. “I also love the mother-daughter role reversal where the daughter becomes the disapproving, judgmental, suspicious parent and the mother is sneaking around her back having a love affair that makes her feel like she’s come back to life.”

A Family Affair is now on Netflix.