Hollywood hopes Efron shines beyond teen audience

HOLLYWOOD

Zac Efron seems impervious to the fact that the movie industry is itching to make him a crown prince.

Almost defensively he points out that "it was all downhill until I was 17. I mean, I was just average. Talking to a girl, then, was as difficult as any role I've had - more daunting than anything I've had to do in the past two years - since it happened."

The happening was Disney's "High School Musical" and its two sequels. As a star of that song-and-dance-and-sweetness franchise, he's already been crowned by America's teen girls as the guy of the moment.

Efron, now 21, doesn't seem to realize that Hollywood's big-money investors are watching him closely this weekend. Can he carry a movie on his own? Can he attract audiences beyond the teen princesses who, after all, are going to grow out of him soon?

The test is "17 Again," a time-warping fantasy comedy in which he plays a 37-year-old guy who sort of wishes himself into his 17-year-old body after his marriage and business have failed. It's "Big" in reverse with a noticeable touch of "It's a Wonderful Life." His adult side, at least visually, is played by Matthew Perry, the former star of TV's "Friends." But it is Efron's face on billboards, in TV commercials and on talk shows. If it flops, it's his flop. He has his first above-the-title starring role.

Efron seems to have a few things going in his favor.

Huge fan base

He's swamped by squeals (although unusually well-mannered ones) wherever he goes. Some of the fans were in the lobby outside the room where we were to interview him. The small group of tweenyboppers apparently learned of his presence at the Four Seasons Hotel via tom-tom drums or Twitter or whatever device fan-girls use to stalk their prey. They waited patiently, and at a polite distance, with autograph books in hand. He stopped and talked pleasantly to each, dutifully signing. They're quiet and respectful in comparison to the harridans who traditionally seek bad-boy rockers.

They don't flinch when his real-life honey, Vanessa Hudgens, also his "HSM" co-star, shows up to give him a farewell hug. (They do give her some icy stares).

The couple are wearing matching baseball caps and designer faded jeans. They met while filming "High School Musical" and have been dating since 2006. The hand-holding dispels the tabloid rumors that a break-up is imminent.

Track record of success

Zachary David Alexander Efron was born in San Luis Obispo, Calif., where his father was an engineer and his mother was a secretary in a power plant. He has a younger brother, Dylan, and until recently lived at home. Now, he has an apartment with his two Australian shepherd dogs - Dreamer and Puppy. He also has a Siamese cat named Simon.

From age 11, which was 10 years ago, he appeared in community theater musicals - "Gypsy," "Music Man," "Peter Pan," "Little Shop of Horrors." His drama teacher helped him get an agent, which led to guest roles on TV, including "ER," "CSI: Miami" and "NCIS."

The first two "HSM" movies were phenomenal hits on TV. They featured Efron's Troy Bolton opposite Hudgens' Gabriella, two kids from different worlds who find common ground in their love of music.

His work on "HSM" brought him a Teen Choice Award as the Breakout Star of the year with five songs in the Billboard Hot 100 in 2006, including "Get'cha Head in the Game" and "Breaking Free," a duet with Hudgens. Billboard magazine says "Breaking Free" made the fastest climb in the history of the charts, from No. 86 to No. 4 in a week.

Last year's big-screen version, the third "HSM," had the biggest opening-weekend gross of any movie musical.

Efron also played Link Larkin in Adam Shankman's "Hairspray" (2007), which pleased movie critics and ticket buyers.

Good work ethic

Shankman, the producer of "Hairspray" and "17 Again," said: "He's going to be one of the greatest stars of the next generation. After 'Hairspray' we actively sought a vehicle to star him."

"The thing about Zac is that he has been raised with a work ethic. He works every minute and with amazing energy. For a fight scene he rehearsed for weeks - getting the other guy to practice with him the Star Wars light-saber thing in the studio parking lot when the soundstages were closed.... When Zac comes in a room, the energy level is upped. Most of all, he'll be a star because he wants it. He's going for it."

Although he and Matthew Perry look nothing alike, Efron said he was determined to pull off the switcheroo.

"Matthew and I had two weeks together where we read each other's lines. I hounded him. I'd call him at his home and get him to read a line for me. Once I called him at 3 a.m. to ask him how he would say a line. I wanted my 17-year-old to be like his 37-year-old."

Director Burr Steers recalled the day where "we were doing a scene, and I noticed he was turning green. I thought he was really mad with me but, actually, the cause was a ruptured appendix. He had to be rushed to the hospital for an emergency operation. The next day, he called and apologized for holding up shooting for a day. That's dedication. He was back on the set in a week."

A plan to branch out

The "17 Again" script takes a seriously adult turn, with the Perry character facing a broken marriage and trouble at work. There also is the angle that the young basketball star gives up his scholarship and future when he learns his girlfriend is pregnant. Couldn't this be regarded as troublesome material for Efron's young fans?

"I never thought about it. It was his decision and, yes, it could be debated if they couldn't have stayed together and he could still go to school, but I have intentions to make movies that are a lot edgier than this. It's not a major issue."

He fulfilled what he says was a lifetime dream last weekend when he hosed "Saturday Night Live."

He surprised everyone two weeks ago by turning down the lead in the remake of the musical "Footloose."

"I want to do serious roles; go in another direction. It was a very tough decision. Very tough, but I think it was the right move."

The odds against survival after teen-heartthrob stardom are not good. John Travolta, Michael J. Fox and Johnny Depp made it, but many others, such as Scott Baio and David Cassidy, never escaped their image, and their star status dimmed.

Efron knows he has to cross over to get male audiences and, consequently, he's looking for an action role. Awaiting a national release is "Me and Orson Welles" in which he plays a teenager hired to star in Orson Welles' 1937 production of "Julius Caesar."

He has a number of projects already set, all carefully designed to expand his appeal. Included are "The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud" and "Panic," based on the

Japanese anime creations in "Full Metal Panic." He'll play a member of a covert anti-terrorist mercenary group. Then he'll be in a live-action adaptation of the "Jonny Quest" cartoons.

He hopes there won't be any vacation this summer. "I'd rather be working."

Mal Vincent, (757) 446-2347, mal.vincent@pilotonline.com