Zac Efron takes on his most mature role yet in the adaptation of Nicholas Sparks‘ The Lucky One playing U.S. Marine Sergeant Logan Thibault who has defied the odds during three tours of duty in Iraq. When Thibault discovers a photograph of an unknown woman (Taylor Schilling) half-buried in the sand and pulls it out, it becomes his lucky charm that he credits with keeping him alive. After he returns stateside, the picture becomes the catalyst for an unusual and moving journey of discovery and healing.

At the press day for The Lucky One, we sat down at a roundtable interview with Efron and Schilling to talk about what drew them to the Nicholas Sparks universe and the story’s interconnecting ideas of luck, love and destiny. They told us how the friendship they developed on set helped when it came time to film some of the movie’s more romantic scenes, how it was working with Academy Award-nominated writer/director Scott Hicks, and what they have coming up next including Efron’s The Paperboy and Schilling’s Argo. Zac also talked about his progression toward more serious roles, how he transformed himself physically for the role, and why it was important to him to give the most accurate portrayal possible after getting to know the Marines at Camp Pendleton.

Are there ever moments where you read this big sweeping romantic dialogue and think, “Oh, come on, nobody talks like that?”
ZAC EFRON: There’s a cynical part of you that red flags go off on a couple lines.

TAYLOR SCHILLING: We talked about a couple of those lines.

Which lines?
SCHILLING: You deserve to be kissed every… That’s exactly what.

EFRON: But then I think back to moments I’ve been in and I’ve said things way, way crazier than that. So it’s all relative. There was a little bit of shivering when I realized I was going to do that on camera, but I think a bit of pride too.

When you watch that as an audience, do you think, “That is stirring?”
EFRON: I mean, I couldn’t look during that part.

How attached did you get to the dog?
EFRON: We went through so much, man, me and that dog, me and Rowdy. It was amazing because the first time I met him, I wasn’t even allowed to engage him because the dog loses respect for you if you do that. We went through this roller coaster relationship from me paying virtually no attention to him and to him being interested. Finally, I was able to engage him and we became best friends. We had a great working relationship. He was the best actor on the set. Super, super talented. Yeah, I grew very attached to the dog.

Read this full interview at Collider.com

Source: EHS Wildcats

Zac Efron likes a good scare. “I think each time in life that you confront your fears, you actually grow a little bit,” says the former teen icon. He stars in “The Lucky One” (opening next Friday), playing a Marine fighting in the Iraq War.

When you’re the guy who hoofed it through “High School Musical” and then went for laughs in “17 Again,” it was time to feel a little jittery. His character in the movie, inspired by a Nicholas Sparks book, fights during three tours in Iraq.

Could Efron pull that off? “It was me asking myself, ‘Can I do it? Can I get it right?’ ” he admits. “My answer was, ‘I think I can.’ “At the end of the day, I was very pleased with the movie, and I’ll never forget the things I learned playing this character.”

Efron had to do his first combat scenes with real Marines in the background. Eye-opening doesn’t even begin to cover it. “I would turn around and see all of these American heroes who had my back,” he says.

Efron got a bit emotional. “All I could do was try to take it all in: the way they spoke to each other, the way they moved, their mannerisms,” says Efron. “My passion for getting it right had never been stronger.”

At age 24, Efron could develop the guns necessary to get the job done. “I read that I gained 25 pounds, but that isn’t true. It was really 17 pounds during an intense training program,” Efron says. “I was guided every step of the way by a real Navy SEAL.” The strict diet was the worst of it. “Everything was pre-planned,” he says. “I have never eaten that much fruit in my life, plus it was a lot of chicken and vegetables.

“I’d get so sick of the sight of what went down every single day,” he says. “It was actually one of the hardest things I’ve ever done because the eating and working out was very consuming.”

He doesn’t just make war in “The Lucky One.” He also makes love. After his service overseas, the Marine travels to North Carolina to find an unknown woman (Taylor Schilling) whose photo he stumbled upon during the war. Before long, the couple is steaming up a shower together. “Love scenes are always awkward,” he insists. “It’s a lot of breath mints. In this case, the water was cold, too.

Read the rest of this article at Chicago Sun Times

Several new images have been uploaded to the gallery including a scan from the May 2012 issue of Women’s Health Magazine, a photo of Zac and The Lucky One director Scott Hicks, a new candid photo from the set of The Lucky One, a photocall for The Lucky One in Australia, and the Adelaide premiere of The Lucky One.

Don’t forget to tune into Punk’d tonight at 10 PM EST to watch Zac’s segment on the MTV TV series (check out a clip from the segment below). Check your local listings for time and channel in your area!

Zac Efron plays U.S. Marine Sergeant Logan Thibault in the film adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ novel, The Lucky One , which opens in theaters on April 20th. The talented actor shared his thoughts on the powerful story during our recent interview.

Q. The Lucky One’s theme is one of fate and destiny. Do you believe a person writes their own story or lives a life that’s already written.
A. From my own experience, I think there’s some sort of guidance. I don’t know what it is, but something helps me along the way. I think maybe opportunities present themselves or doors are open and it’s up to you to walk through them — only you can do that. I think I believe in both to a degree.

Q. Your character, Logan, is led by his lucky charm — the photo of Beth. Do you have a lucky charm?
A. I don’t really have a lucky charm at the moment. There’s little things that I keep around, but I can’t think of anything that I carry around day to day.

Q. At the core of the film is a photograph that connects Logan and Beth. Have pictures played a role in connecting you to other people?
A. Yes – I’m sure at some point. I love to keep pictures around of family and friends. I’m always looking through pictures that connect me to great memories.

Q. What makes The Lucky One such a powerful story?
A. It’s about two real people that have experienced life and all of the challenges and hardships, but despite the weight they carry, are able to come together and find true love and find their soul’s counterpart. It’s very powerful. It’s a love story.

Q. If you were to be remembered by a single image, what would it look like?
A. Hopefully, I’m smiling and my eyes are open.

Source: Shutterfly.com

(Thanks to YouTuber meagerpickings)

Fans in the UK have a chance to win tickets to the premiere of The Lucky One by simply visiting and ‘Liking’ The Lucky One UK Movie Facebook Page! The contest ends this Sunday, April 1st. Best of luck to all who enter! The Lucky One hits the UK on Wednesday, May 2nd!

Zac Efron will be answering your questions LIVE on Twitter this Saturday, March 31st, at 3:00pm PST/ 6:00pm EST!

Be sure to follow @ZacEfron on Twitter, and start sending in your questions for Zac now using the hashtag #askzacefron!

Source: The Lucky One Facebook Page