Zac Efron is a certified movie star. He started with a few bit parts in hit TV shows back in the early 2000s such as Firefly and ER and starred in the short-lived show, Summerland. But it was his starring role in the Disney hit High School Musical where he became a household name. Throughout the years he began to choose more and more interesting projects and became more than just a pretty face. He won a Daytime Emmy in 2021 for hosting the show, Down to Earth with Zac Efron on Netflix. And his most recent film, The Greatest Beer Run Ever, premiered at TIFF in September. Since the early 2000s, Zac has been a fixture on both the small and big screens. Here are some of his best films to date.
The High School Musical Saga
Zac Efron probably had no idea that his role as the high school basketball star, Troy Bolton in the 2000s Disney original film High School Musical, would make him an international star. But as soon as he took the microphone with Vanessa Hudgens who played his love interest, Gabriella, his star power exploded. The film spawned a sequel in 2007 and a third movie followed in 2008 that was released in theaters. Currently, the Disney Channel is home to a spinoff High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. Recently for Season 4, the show announced that at least 6 original cast members will return for cameos in the new season. Efron's name wasn’t mentioned, but we’ll keep hoping for Troy Bolton to show up.
Hairspray (2007)
In keeping with his singing and dancing prowess, Efron took on the role of Link Larkin in the 2007 movie adaptation of John Waters' musical, Hairspray. Link is the star dancer of “The Corny Collins Show” but is overwhelmed when the newest dancer, Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky), joins and shakes the show up to push it into the modern era. The film also stars John Travolta, Christopher Walken, Michelle Pfeiffer, Queen Latifah, James Marsden, and many more. Efron is extremely easy to believe as a teen heartthrob and makes it look easy as his sex appeal leaps off-stage on the fictional show as well as the real life movie screen.
Me and Orson Wells (2008)
Efron stars as Richard in this coming-of-age story based on a novel of the same name. Richard is a high school student who is cast as Lucius in the upcoming stage adaptation “Caesar,” directed by Orson Wells (Christian McKay). Richard gets caught up in backstage drama and learns a hard lesson about show biz and romance at a young age. The film itself is a love (?) letter to the life of the theater and what it takes to get a production up and running. Claire Danes makes it easy for Efron's character to fall head over heels, but also his performance showcases the swiftness with which one can be swept up in the glamour and the heartbreak of show business.
17 Again (2009)
Efron plays Mike as a teen who gave up his ticket to college to stay with his pregnant girlfriend. Now older and frustrated with his choices and resentful towards his wife, Scarlet (Leslie Mann), Mike (Matthew Perry) magically wakes up as his 17-year-old self, ready to take on another chance at life. Where Back to the Future has a teen traveling back in time and getting to know his parents as friends, 17 Again shows a parent getting to know his kids as friends, which is very endearing. As he tries to save his failing relationship with Scarlet, he learns more about his kids, Alex (Sterling Knight) and Maggie (Michelle Trachtenberg), and by extension, himself. Efron threads the needle here as a peer and a dad, but the result is heartwarming and sincere. There have been many versions of the trope of rediscovering your youth, but 17 Again is definitely one of the better ones.
The Paperboy (2012)
In this crime drama based on the book of the same name by Pete Dexter, Efron plays Jack Jansen who is hired by his brother, Ward (Matthew McConaughey), to be a driver for Charlotte Bless (Nicole Kidman). Charlotte is engaged to a man on death row (John Cusack) and Ward is there to investigate if he has been wrongly convicted. Jack is immediately head over heels for Charlotte and the acting pair immediately show that they ooze chemistry in their tense and awkward scenes together. It is a wild thriller based on true events in 1960s Florida. Kidman and Efron were praised for their performances in a somewhat uneven film.
Parkland (2013)
There have been countless adaptations of the events surrounding the assassination of John F. Kennedy, but Parkland takes an untapped approach by showing the aftermath at Parkland hospital immediately following the shooting. Efron plays Dr. Jim Carrico, a young physician who, like everyone, is overwhelmed by what is happening in real-time, but has to snap into action quickly. Efron really gets to show off his acting chops when he is in the operating room with the President and refuses to let him succumb to his injuries. It is a very sensitive topic and the film handles it with grace and gives the hospital staff the dignity it deserves for having to deal with the trauma.
Neighbors (2014)
In a laugh-out-loud comedy, Efron plays fraternity president, Teddy. He and his brothers buy an off-campus house in a residential neighborhood to house their fraternity and throw epic parties. Unfortunately for their neighbors and new parents, Mac (Seth Rogen) and Kelly (Rose Byrne), a fraternity house next door is not exactly what they need with a newborn. It starts out friendly enough with everybody playing nice and being neighborly, but soon the couple and the fraternity become all our enemies in a battle to save their new homes. It is a raucous good time and has an epic comedic supporting cast including Dave Franco, Ike Barinholtz, Carla Gallo, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jerrod Carmichael, Hannibal Buress, and Lisa Kudrow.
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (2016)
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In yet another bro-y film, Efron plays the titular Dave to Adam Devine’s Mike as they, you guessed it, search for wedding dates. They meet their matches in Anna Kendrick and Aubrey Plaza in a surprisingly endearing comedy. Efron is always able to bring a bit of levity to seemingly one-dimensional characters, and it makes you end up ultimately rooting for him - no matter how dumb his choices may be. His chemistry with Kendrick is palpable as the two provide an unexpected, but hilarious, pair.
The Greatest Showman (2017)
In this box office smash, Efron stars alongside Hugh Jackman in The Greatest Showman. Jackman stars as P.T. Barnum in this fictionalized version of his life. Efron plays Philip Carlyle who is loosely based on James Bailey. Together, the two would eventually form the Barnum & Bailey Circus. Philip is an upper-crust rich kid who gets sucked into the circus world and falls madly in love with Zendaya's Anne Wheeler (I mean, how could you not?). Even though it had been ten years since his last singing role, it was clear he only got better with age.
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019)
The story of Ted Bundy has been told in many incarnations. This particular one is told from the point of view of Liz (Lily Collins), Bundy's longtime girlfriend. It is loosely based on Elizabeth Kloepfer's memoir, "The Phantom Prince, My Life with Ted Bundy." It is the most extreme tale of learning that the person you love isn't what you thought they were. But what stands out is that Efron taps into how she and the world were fooled for so long. He is beyond charming and so staggeringly handsome, how could he possibly commit the atrocities he's being accused of? Efron's darkness behind those captivating eyes shows how easy it can be to be duped and illustrates what a fantastic actor Efron really is.
Gold (2022)
A low-key Australian film that kind of sat under the radar this year, Gold is the story of survival in the Australian outback in what looks to be a post-apocalyptic world. It is beautifully shot by Anthony Hayes who most Americans know from the film Animal Kingdom. Hayes also appears in the film as one of the few other actors alongside Efron. Efron is mostly alone in the vast desert during the film, and he is compelling enough to carry it even with little dialogue or scene partners. While not incredibly plot-heavy, Efron’s performance as well as the scenery makes this one a good watch.