Zac Efron is no stranger to biopics. His latest performance had him playing Kevin Von Erich in The Iron Claw, John “Chickie” Donahue in The Greatest Beer Run, the unsettling Ted Bundy in Extremely Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Vile And Evil, and more. So, what’s one more to add to your collection than the chance to play ‘80s icon Rob Lowe? After Efron discovered that the 9-1-1: Lone Star actor instantly picked him as his first choice for a biopic of himself, the former Disney star gave the best reaction.
Rob Lowe admitted to his son, John Owen Lowe, during an ET interview that he’d like Zac Efron to play him in a biopic of himself if it’s “off the table” for his own son. His reasoning came from being blown away by Efron’s highly praised performance in The Iron Claw. Luckily, the High School Musical actor heard Lowe’s biopic request and gave his best reaction to ExtraTV:
I’m in. I love Rob. He’s the man, and he’s had a cool life.
You can’t argue with that. Rob Lowe’s career was established with the ‘80s flick The Outsiders when he was 18. From there, he became part of The Brat Pack where he got to star in movies with other ‘80s icons like Andrew McCarthy, Ally Sheedy, Emilio Estevez, and more.
As Lowe entered the film scene as a teen idol, his level of fame was similar to Zac Efron's in the early 2000s who became very popular starring in High School Musical and worked his way up to more adult roles. Plus, those two also share the common trait of having bright blue eyes that can make anyone swoon at the sight of them on screen. I definitely think the St. Elmo’s Fire actor chose a great on-screen talent to play him.
When Rob Lowe told his son John Owen Lowe about wanting Zac Efron to play him in a biopic, his Unstable co-star laughed in disbelief at what the pitch would be for the Summerland actor to play his dad and unsure he’d even want to play him. While the 28-year-old was wrong about Efron not jumping at the chance to play a younger version of his dad, it seems like The Greatest Showman actor can’t imagine what the pitch for a Rob Lowe biopic would be like either.
I don’t know what the story is about, but I’m in. I’m in, let’s do it, Rob. Let’s do it, that would be so fun.
The Parks and Recreation actor truly did lead a highly publicized and eventful life. Other than all of the career-defining roles he took on, Lowe met his future wife, Sheryl Berkoff, on a blind date in the early ‘80s and reunited on the set of his movie Bad Influence. The two got married in 1991 and eventually had two boys together.
However, the tabloids covered the Hollywood star extensively as a teenager when he engaged in heavy partying and drinking. However, Lowe quit alcohol back in 1990 and continues to celebrate his sobriety milestones. The Floor host was also involved in a sex tape scandal back when he was 24. So I can imagine troubling moments like these making their way into the potential biopic.
Now that we know that Zac Efron is totally down to play Rob Lowe in a biopic about the ‘80s star, we need to make this happen! With all of the mind-blowing performances that Efron has given recently and being able to relate to having a teen star career, I believe he can pull off the role just fine.
While we wait for the anticipated biopic, you can include Zac Efron in your streaming schedule who's co-starring with Nicole Kidman in A Family Affair on your Netflix subscription premiering June 28th.
