ARTICLES & INTERVIEWS

Summer Guy

Actor Zac Efron is about to find himself in a tight spot. The 14-year-old who plays Cameron on TV's Summerland will be in a romantic tug-of-war between two girls. Fortunately, his real-life girlfriend understands. "She's cool with it. She knows I'm acting, that I'm playing a character," says Zac. A native of San Luis Obispo, California, he's an A student and still goes to public school there when he's not working. He does assignments by mail and phone when he is. "My teachers are really accommodating," he says. Going to a regular school, he adds, "keeps me grounded."

Summerland premiered this summer so he hasn't had to deal with being recognized in the hallways, but that might change in September. Zac confesses that he didn't care about acting (he wanted to be a pro athlete) until his parents took him to an audition for the musical Gypsy. "It was a very small part, Newsboy #1. I was terrified going into this audition, but I went in and got the part. And then it was onwards and upwards. That was it," Zac says. "I auditioned for every play I could."

Zac still sings, but doesn't think he's in the same league as co-star Jesse McCartney. "That guy has a great voice," he says. "I like to sing, but I'm not looking for a record label or anything."

From Scholastic News