Rob Lowe was an iconic ‘80s movie actor who made a name for himself on the big screen as a total heartthrob. After The Outsiders launched this A-lister’s career, he went on to be part of The Brat Pack films and then transitioned to have a prominent television career with shows like The West Wing, Parks and Recreation, and 9-1-1: Lone Star. He’s had a career deserving of a biopic, and if he were to pick anyone to portray him in one, Zac Efron would be his prime choice. As I’m a huge fan of the two, this perfect casting has blown my mind!
Rob Lowe sat down with his son, John Owen Lowe, in an ET interview where he asked his dad who should play him in a biopic (that is, of course, if it’s “off the table” for his own son). Here was the Parks and Rec actor’s answer:
Zac Efron. Iron Claw? Amazing. He’s amazing.
I couldn’t have picked a better actor myself. In fact, my mind was blown by how I didn’t think of this choice casting before.
Zac Efron came onto the film scene as a total heartthrob himself. Due to one of the best childhood DCOMs, High School Musical, you can bet on it (ignore the pun) that Efron’s face was on posters hung in the bedrooms of a lot of children in the 2000s. Like Rob Lowe, the Baywatch actor has been in a lot of movies that have shown off his impressive abs and physique. As they both share bright blue eyes too, they truly do have an incredible resemblance.
Other than Zac Efron bearing a fairly striking likeness to the ‘80s idol, we’ve also seen the former Disney actor in powerful performances that show he’s bigger than High School Musical. As Rob Lowe said, Efron received high praise for his performance in The Iron Claw as Kevin Von Erich which proves he can handle not only the physical grunt work that comes with looking the part physically, but the emotional aspects the character carries too.
Even though Rob Lowe thinks that Zac Efron would be perfect to play himself, his son and Unstable co-star John Owen Lowe seems to think otherwise. The 28-year-old actor laughed at the idea of his father pitching for The Greatest Showman actor to play him, believing Efron would refuse.
I’d like to believe the Neighbors actor would be open to the idea of playing The West Wing actor. After all, the HSM alum was touched when he found out Matthew Perry wanted Efron to play him too. With the amount of range the 36-year-old actor has shown lately, I think he could play anything he set his mind to.
After Rob Lowe requested that Zac Efron play him in a biopic, consider my mind officially blown. Those two came into the Hollywood scene as dreamy idols and transitioned into adult roles that further defined their careers. With Lowe’s choice being the perfect casting, we need this biopic to happen.
However, while we wait for that dream to become reality, you can look at our 2024 movie schedule to see what the actors are releasing next.