Events > 2010 > “Teen Hollywood” Interview – 7/16

TeenHollywood: You went through a sort of learn-to-sail boot camp for this film. Was sailing hard to learn?
Zac: Sailing is sort of hard. You can’t just say ‘I’m going sailing this weekend’. There is a lot of preparation that goes into it. You need to get a boat and a crew. It’s not like surfing where you just grab your board and go. But, I’d love to do it in the future. I’d like to go some long-distance sailing. I think that would be really fun. Me and my dad want to do that.

TeenHollywood: That’s cool but if you and Vanessa or you and your friends were going to just secretly sail away, where would be your dream destination and why?
Zac: I don’t know but the sail to Hawaii is supposed to be really fun. It takes about ten days to get there. That would be a big commitment. You’d need a pretty devoted crew. That would take weeks and then we wouldn’t want to leave the island for the big sail back. But somewhere with clear blue water would be really fun to sail.

TeenHollywood: What is it like when you see yourself on the screen now? How do you feel?
Zac: My head is HUGE [he laughs]. Enrique [Chediak] was a real cool [director of photography] and he’s really good at making everything look beautiful. I noticed that first and foremost. As far as watching myself on screen, I tend to, especially the first time around, pick out every single flaw, or things I could have and should have done better. I’m more of a cringer at first, and then when it’s years down the road and it’s out of the way I can kind of look back and appreciate it somehow.

TeenHollywood: What was it about Amanda Crew that clicked so well with you? Why was she perfect for the part of your leading lady?
Zac: Amanda had a very different read. She was very natural and very stunning; she has a unique look that I hadn’t seen before. I couldn’t look at Amanda and name any other actress who looked like her or had her presence. She came in prepared and excited and she was a little bit nervous and cute and just seemed like she’d be a great person to work with; somebody who could be real in the circumstances of the story. She proved to be that and so much more.

TeenHollywood: You two have some pretty intense romantic scenes. Was that awkward for you?
Zac: No. She was really easygoing. I’ve never really found romantic scenes intensely or incredibly awkward, which I was supposed to be during this. So, I think we found common ground. We held each other’s hands through this whole experience. We just got along really well. There was nothing to be nervous about. The only weird part was being in a graveyard for that love scene was kind of, a little bit weird.

Visit Teen Hollywood to read the rest of this interview.

Source: Teen Hollywood

This week Zac Efron, best known for the High School Musical movies, takes his first big career risk: playing a grieving older brother in Charlie St. Cloud. Testing his limits is perfectly in keeping with how the 22-year-old likes to spend his summers.

“As soon as the days get longer and the sun hangs in the sky, I feel more alive,” says Efron, who pushes the boundaries off-camera by biking, surfing, and skateboarding. (“I’ve fallen off just about everything it’s possible to fall off of.”) Among the thrills he’s seeking this summer:

Taking a daily dip “The first thing I do every morning is cannonball into the pool. It’s the best way to wake up.”

Rooting for his favorite team Efron loves to go to L.A. Lakers basketball games, but he grew up going to Giants baseball games and would collect players’ autographs. “My dad would drive me and my brother six hours up to San Francisco, and we’d see back-to-back games.”

Enjoying an American classic “My family used to go to drive-in movies, where we’d put that little speaker inside our car to get the sound. It was always such a fun night.”

Roughing it “I really want to hit a national park this summer. I’m a big fan of Bear Grylls and Man vs. Wild. I like to backpack, filter my own water, make a fire. But I bring packaged food—I’m not setting squirrel traps.”

Making Steve Jobs even richer “I always have music on,” Efron says. “The other day, I found out my biggest expense isn’t electricity or gas—it’s iTunes. I spend way too much on music, movies, apps, and games. I’ve got to get that under control.”

Cheering on his girl “Vanessa [Hudgens] is playing Mimi in Rent at the Hollywood Bowl in August. It’s the role of a lifetime for her. The song ‘Out Tonight’ is Vanessa in a nutshell—she loves to have fun. She’s a good partner in crime.”

Source: PARADE

The full Chicago Tribune interview won’t be online until next week but Chicago Now has posted a sneak peak of their Q&A with Zac and one shot from their photoshoot has been uploaded to the gallery.

Just before our interview with Zac Efron at the Peninsula Hotel Thursday, the “Charlie St. Cloud” star filled up on filet mignon at Gibson’s. “It was top notch, definitely,” says Efron, 22. “I finished it all, too, so I’m definitely feeling it right now.” The rising star, who is constantly mobbed by screaming fans, says that an average Saturday date night with girlfriend and “High School Musical” co-star Vanessa Hudgens consists of sneaking out to a restaurant and grabbing a movie. “We go to the movies a lot. The movies is a place we tend to not get bothered, surprisingly enough. We try and see most movies in theaters.” The best he’s seen recently? “Toy Story 3.”

Photoshoots > 063 – Chicago Tribune (2010)

Source: Chicago Now

Zac Efron talks to dead people in ‘Charlie St. Cloud’

If there’s any dreamier actor in movies today than Zac Efron, we haven’t met him. Since becoming a cultural phenomenon in the “High School Musical” movies, the former Disney star has slowly but effectively built a career for himself as a leading man in movies like Hairspray, 17 Again, and his latest effort, Charlie St. Cloud, which reunites him with his 17 Again director Burr Steers, and offers audiences another opportunity to gaze into those crystal blue eyes of his.

In the film, Efron plays the title character, an ambitious high school graduate who foregoes a promising college career after his younger brother dies in an automobile accident. Hollywood News sat down with Efron last weekend at the Los Angeles press day for Charlie St. Cloud, where he discussed the challenges of the role, explored his own evolution as an actor, and examined the “it factor” that has found him a place among Hollywood’s most in-demand movie stars.

Hollywood News: You and Charlie Tahan have terrific chemistry as brothers on screen. Did you have a lot of time to get to know one another before filming began?
Zac Efron: Yeah. We tried to have fun and do stuff outside of set. What’d we do? We went to hockey games. We saw a bunch of sports and stuff. And then we just played catch every day and sort of got in that rhythm. Yeah, it was fun.

Hollywood News: You helped Burr Steers get the job directing this. Why did you decide you wanted to work with him again after 17 Again?
Efron: I didn’t so much get Burr the job. Burr called me and said, “are you serious about this? Because I’m in.” And I’m like, all right. Let’s do it, you know. So, he really responded to it. And that was just exciting to me. I was stoked. I knew this was even more so in Burr’s wheelhouse than 17 Again. And I just knew we’d be lucky to have him involved.

Hollywood News: What is Burr like as a director?
Efron: He’s very generous with the actors. It’s funny, ’cause Burr is rare to give a camera note or anything like that, but guaranteed, every take he’s running over to talk to us. And he’s got so much to say- an opinion or a new point of view or something to think about. Which is great for me. I enjoy that much attention from your director. I think it’s great. When they’re not worried about the other stuff, they really care about your performance. He’s performance oriented, definitely, deep down.

Hollywood News: How did you define or maybe choreograph the way Charlie interacts with others throughout the movie? Because there’s some question how real are the relationships he has with other characters.
Efron: When [Charlie’s brother] comes back, that’s when Charlie really is living. That’s what he looks forward to. I think that’s when we have the most fun, in those scenes. If you have a ghost of somebody coming back, if you make it sad, that would just be, ‘Oh, man.’ Instead, we just tried to have the most fun in those scenes.

Hollywood News: Did you think of it in terms of his brother being a ghost that you were interacting with? Or was that just another person?
Efron: I think it’s real to Charlie, so like a real person. But he’s aware of it, but it’s too good. He can’t let go, you know? I- I hope that answers your question – I’m kind of confused on your question, so I don’t really know what you’re talking about.

Hollywood News: I’m sorry – I’m kind of confusing. What does it feel like when you see yourself on screen? Do you enjoy it, do you want to look away?
Efron: It’s fun. Enrique [Chediak] was a real, cool, fascinating DP and he’s very, very good at making everything look really beautiful. That’s what struck me the first time I saw it. And I still have not seen the final draft of the movie, but I noticed that, first and foremost – the way the ocean looked. The way it was depicted, I loved that. As far as looking at myself on screen, I tend to, especially the first time around, I pick out every single flaw or things I should have or could have done better. I don’t know why, I just tend to dwell on those things. I’m more of like a cringer at first. And then when it’s years down the road and it’s out of the way I can actually look back and appreciate it somehow.

Visit Hollywood News to read the rest of this interview.

Source: Hollywood News

Efron putting emphasis on acting, not singing

Zac Efron took part in the Dan Perez Baseball Camp Tuesday in Atlanta, promoting his new movie “Charlie St. Cloud” – released July 30.

The 22-year-old actor, who crooned his way into our collective consciousness via Disney’s “High School Musical” and the big-screen musical remake of “Hairspray,” is starring in a new drama with an award-winning cast and a sexy onscreen love interest.

“Charlie St. Cloud,” in theaters nationwide July 30, follows a small-town achiever (Efron, in the title role) who gives up big dreams after a tragic accident kills his younger brother.

The jury’s still out on whether nuanced turns by Efron and co-stars Kim Basinger and Ray Liotta will win critical praise — or if “Charlie St. Cloud,” adapted from Ben Sherwood’s popular novel, employs too many schmaltzy emotional hooks. But one thing is certain: Efron lights up the screen.

When Efron came to town a few weeks ago to throw some baseballs with Atlanta Braves pitching coach Roger McDowell and the Dan Perez campers at Murphey Candler Park, he sat down in the field house to talk about the film, what’s playing on his iPod, and how his love life’s going.

Q. “Charlie St. Cloud” is being described as a cross between “The Sixth Sense” and “Field of Dreams.” Was it tough to play an intense dramatic role like this one?
A. [Playing Charlie] was the fun part — getting in there and imagining that. It was a different vibe on set. Hopefully [audiences] will have an emotional reaction and walk away thinking. [The film is] uplifting at the end. It doesn’t end on a sad note. It’s a journey you have to go through to experience it.

Q. What was it like to film the underwater scenes?
A. You think, “Oh, it’s just a movie,” but it’s actually very real. We had a 20-feet-deep tank with a boat flipped upside down, submerged. I was free diving from air tank to air tank. You couldn’t come up for air at the end of a take. Some of the takes were like a minute and a half long. … You’re so out of breath, you’re still 20 feet under water and then somebody hands you a respirator. No goggles. It was a week of underwater filming in a pool with chlorine. My eyes were swollen. But it was so much fun at the same time.

Q. You and co-star Amanda Crew ["Final Destination 3"] have some real chemistry.
A. It wasn’t hard. Doing this was different and new for both of us. We committed and rehearsed a lot. Being on that journey together and having somebody on this wild ride is really important. We definitely connected.

Q. You did the films “17 Again” and “Me and Orson Welles,” and now you’re starting your own production company. Have you quit singing?
A. Right now, there are other adventures to have. I’m not ditching [singing]. I’m not embarrassed about it at all. I loved “High School Musical” and “Hairspray.” They’re very close to my heart — and the projects that made me fall in love with [this job]. As my taste in film evolves, though, I watch a certain director’s work and I can’t help but say, “Gosh, man, I want to be in one of these stories.” They’re meaningful for a different reason.

Q. What music are you listening to these days?
A. I’m on a reggae kick. I also love REBolution, Slightly Stoopid, Kings of Leon. I’m into all sorts of hip-hop and rap. I really like Lil Wayne, Kanye West, and Kid Cudi.

Q. Can you tell us a few of your favorite movies?
A. There are so many. But I will say this, one of my favorite movies of all time is “The Goonies.” That was my go-to movie when I was a kid. A lot of kids today have never seen it. It’s the best adventure story ever.

Q. Are you still dating your “High School Musical” co-star Vanessa Hudgens?
A. Yep! We’re still dating. I’m going home tonight so she can see me [laughs]. Back to L.A.!

Source: Atlanta Access

Zac Efron fires up workplace comedy

THR EXCLUSIVE

By Borys Kit

Warner Bros. has picked up an untitled workplace comedy by Jason Filardi for Zac Efron to star in and produce. Adam Shankman and Jennifer Gibgot are in negotiations to produce via their Offspring Entertainment banner.

Attaching himself to the Filardi workplace comedy is the latest move for Efron, who set up his production shingle at Warners in February but has quietly been putting the pieces together with his manager, Alchemy Entertainment’s Jason Barrett.

The company now has a name — Ninjas Runnin’ Wild Prods. — and has staffed up, with former Fox executive Jason Young coming aboard as head of development and to act as point person at NRW. Young spent five years at Fox, working on “X-Men: The Last Stand,” “Live Free or Die Hard” and “Max Payne,” among other movies.

Angie Edgar, a former assistant and creative executive at Alchemy, has been tapped to act as NRW’s creative executive.

Barrett will oversee NRW’s operations with Efron.

The Filardi workplace comedy, on which Barrett also will be a producer, is a reuniting of the team behind “17 Again,” Efron’s high school body-switch comedy that grossed $136 million worldwide last year. The film allowed Efron to move beyond his “High School Musical” roots while trying to build on his core audience.  Read More>>

Source: Hollywood Reporter

Check out Zac’s 4 page spread in the upcoming August 2010 issue of InStyle magazine in the gallery. (Thanks to Kerry via ZacE)

Magazines & Newspapers > InStyle (August 2010)

Check out a scan from the August 2010 issue of Teen Vogue magazine in the gallery (thanks to ZacE). Zac talks about his upcoming film Charlie St. Cloud which hits theaters next month on July 30th!

Magazines & Newspapers > Teen Vogue (August 2010)

IGN recently interviewed Fire author Brian Bendis and here’s what he had to say about his working with Zac. View the source for more (mention of Zac appears on page three).

FROM IGN.COM: “So one of the more shocking news items related to you – that somehow wasn’t related to Ares being disemboweled – was you driving around with Zac Efron. I know my whole office was talking about it – ‘Like, what the hell?’ It’s interesting, when I go into a store I see Jinx, I see Powers…I don’t see Fire…”

Bendis: “Fire actually sells really well, perhaps because it’s cheaper. That’s why I remastered it, because I was selling a lot of these and it was an earlier work. I don’t think at this stage in my career, as people are buying what I’d consider to be fairly polished works…I did this in college, and I want it to resemble something more professional. So I had it remastered at Image, and I’m happy I did that. I hate to tell you how old the book is, that’s how old it is…Zac Efron was something like four years old or something. -laughs- But it’s constantly been in print this whole time. And every time I get back the accruals for the quarter I’m like ‘Really! Okay!’ -laughs- It’s just odd and funny.

So that said, what happened was he had read it and his agent got a hold of my manager. They were talking and this pretty well known producer, Neal Moritz, who is working on Green Hornet and all kinds of stuff, all got together and thought me and Zac might get along. So they put us in a room together and he’s a very interesting guy. I’m sitting there going, ‘I don’t know what I’m going to get.’ But he’s very smart and aiming high, trying to make that next step in a legitimate way, trying to follow in the steps of Matt Damon or Johnny Depp.”

Source: IGN.com