The new film starring Matthew Perry and Zac Efron, 17 Again, is about a guy whose life didn’t quite turn out the way he planned and wishes he could go back to re-write history. One day he wakes up 17 again and gets the chance to do things over. Perry and Efron shared what they would do differently if they got the chance to be 17 again and what they considered to be their “nerdy” period in life.

Q: Which one of you shot your scenes first? Were you able to watch each other’s takes?

Efron: We went back and forth, it was all mixed up. I think Matthew shot a couple of days and then I would come in and shoot. I was able to see a couple of scenes that Matt had done, but I know most of the work we did on figuring out the character was just done during rehearsals. We had a couple of days were we were able to hang out and talk and figure out the key moments that really was Matthew’s line that I was just kind of saying.

Perry: I finally realized on day five why Zac was looking at me so much. Burr Steers, who directed the movie, is a very smart guy and he thought it was a good idea for us to rehearse together and read each other’s lines for each other. So that was a big part of the rehearsal process. And he would say, ‘how would you say this?’ and I would say, ‘how would you say that?’ And that ended up being a cool part of the movie I think.

Q: What time period, if any, would you like to go back to?

Perry: I would like to go back to 9:15 this morning. Have had, maybe two more cups of coffee and rethink my first answer. I would love to be 17 again, if I looked like this dude (Zac Efron).

Efron: I am 21, dude.

Perry: And you really look it now; at 17 you were hideous.

Q: Did you see the movie as a transition for you? It has been reported that you are having difficulty dealing with stardom, is there truth to that?

Efron: I honestly am not having a tough time. The number one question I have been asked for this movie is, ‘if you could go back, would you change anything? If you could be 17 all over again, what would you to different? Would go down this road?’ I say, ‘Absolutely, man.’ This is the best job in the world; I am having the time of my life. I wake up every day with a new challenge, whether it’s filming or learning a new skill set or interviews and press. It’s always fun; it’s always interesting. It’s always a challenge. I am very happy with that, and I am very happy with my life right now. The first part of the question, doing 17 Again, was exactly what I was looking for. This was an opportunity to work with a brilliant cast and an amazing director. It was that chance to switch it up. It does take place in a high school setting, but it is not a very high school character. That’s what I want to do more of.

Q: What are you doing next?

Efron:  I am putting something together with Burr. It’s early in development, but it’s called The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud.

Perry: But it is still about a town that refuses to dance, very weird.

Q: When was your “nerdy period” in life?

Efron: I was pretty cool until about freshman year in high school, and then it was downhill until I was 17. Then something happened and it all came back. But that was pretty much the time that I was average. I worked hard in school and got good grades, but I was not that cool, so to speak. I wasn’t bullied or anything like that, but I wasn’t the “it” guy.

Perry: I was the “it” guy in school. No. I went to a high school that didn’t have many people in it. There were about 60 people in my senior class. There was a group of cool kids and a group of dorky kids, and I was the coolest of the dorky kids.

Efron: I am stealing the answer, bro. That’s great.

Q: Matthew you were involved in sports in high school, did you ever have any dreams of playing professionally?

Perry: I was a terrible basketball player, but I wanted to be a professional tennis player. But I wasn’t good enough.

Q: Was there a moment when you realized that?

Perry: Yea, when everyone just went, ‘Don’t do that.’ You have to do something else. I was very bummed that the sport in the film was basketball because it’s the one sport I am just terrible at.

Q: What piece of advice do you remember receiving in high school or what advice would you give yourself?

Perry: I wish I could go back and tell myself to chill out a little bit more and not take everything so seriously, because everything is so serious when you are that age.

Efron: Yea, everything is heightened. You feel like you’re an adult when you are 17. You have the social awareness of an adult, but that doesn’t really apply in high school because everyone is young and stupid. So it’s hard, and you take it too seriously. I think I would go back to chill out; this is just the beginning, and get ready because stuff is about to pop off.

Q: What is your perspective on getting older?

Perry: I am much happier now then I was when I was that age. I think things get better. I think it has to do with taking everything so seriously. I think you get a little lighter as you get older. I think it takes care of itself and keeps getting better.

Efron: I can’t wait to grow up. Apparently, it’s just getting exciting right now.

Q: Can you tell us about your plans to host Saturday Night Live?

Efron: I am so excited to host SNL. I leave tonight on the red eye and will start working on the show tomorrow. It has been a dream of mine since I was ten years old. Improv is pretty much how I got started. They do more sketch comedy, but this is how I started. This is what I want to get back to. I think it is going to be great.