The irony of Zac Efron falling seriously ill while filming his reality show Killing Zac Efron in Papua New Guinea at the end of 2019 isn’t lost on the 32-year-old actor. “It was touch and go for a while,” he says, “but I guess if you are going to title a show like that, you should really be true to your name and follow through with the premise.
“Ultimately, I was quite lucky to survive what was a very serious bacterial infection; while being able to return to action quite quickly, it scared me a lot at the time.”
Typhoid to one side, Efron is riding a wave these days. From Baywatch to Neighbours, across The Greatest Showman and Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, the actor has successfully made the transition from teen idol to dramatic actor. He’s also rebooted his personal life after a stint in rehab a few years back, and he’s enjoying life more than living an alcohol-free life.
Zac has also turned into a physical fitness junkie whose ripped abs and iron body are the result of having channeled his excess energy and anxiety into regular five-day per week, twice-a-day workouts. Efron lives in Los Angeles, where he has found himself in many high-profile relationships, including model/stylist girlfriend Sami Miro, actresses Vanessa Hudgens and Lily Collins, and even, allegedly, Taylor Swift.
His focus remains primarily on film, though, and in 2020 he is providing the voice for Scoob!, the upcoming Warner Bros computer-animated adventure comedy.
STRIPLV: You’re mixing up the film genres like never before and have slipped back into voiceover work. Was that in your plan? EFRON: Not really. I’m open to all genres, but when Scooby-Doo comes about, you have to consider it. The show was such a major part of my childhood, and I don’t think I would ever have forgiven myself had I not wrapped up a perfect time in my life by going back and enjoying the cartoon. There will always be some jobs that you don’t need to be sold to when it comes to deciding to take it, and this was definitely one of those! Overall, as far as my choices go, I tend to vary it depending on the film that came before; I want to keep mixing it up, as you say; I went through the phase of action films, but The Greatest Showman brought an end to all that with something very different. Ultimately, the genre for me matters less than the experience. I’ve been in this business for a long time, and one thing I appreciate is just being able to enjoy every moment being on a set and the good feeling that comes from the time you share with very dedicated and creative people. STRIPLV: Does it help that you’ve slowed down with some of the excesses away from the film set? EFRON: Probably, yes. I still have fun, but I’ve changed my life a lot over the last few years. I don’t mind leading a more boring life in that sense. I would rather get to bed early, read and relax and maybe watch a movie, and be up very early in the morning and get into my workout routine, doing weights, swimming, cardio, all of that. I enjoy the feeling that comes with being in good shape and working out. I’ve never felt better in my life than I do now, in every respect. STRIPLV: Did you start training intensively because you wanted a specific look in your films? EFRON: I got into working out mainly because I wanted to get healthier. Of course, it also suited the character I played in the Neighbors films. Then Baywatch came along, so it followed nicely. Overall, though, I liked the energy it gave me, and I like being athletic doing things like going climbing or surfing. I have some great trainers I’ve been working with, and they’ve helped push me hard, which is what I wanted. I always like a challenge. I like exploring my limits. STRIPLV: Have you ever gone into extreme diet mode? EFRON: I wouldn’t call it extreme. The worst part is not eating carbohydrates. That’s what I always miss the most, but if you want that six-pack, you’ve got to be very disciplined and work at it. STRIPLV: Was it hard maintaining the kind of physique you developed for Baywatch? EFRON: Sometimes, it was tough being on the set because you feel the strain on your system when your body and brain are craving carbs. On a film like that, though, where you’re shirtless most of the time, you’ve got to maintain that discipline and regimen. You can’t allow yourself to ease off because you know the time and effort it takes to get back to where you were. It requires a complete change in your lifestyle if you want to maintain the look you’re after. It sucks, but you know you’ve got to do it. And I can tell you that not eating carbohydrates sucks too. That was probably the worst part of it all. I could always handle doing the reps. It’s the diet that requires the most discipline. STRIPLV: How many days a week do you train? EFRON: Usually, five days a week with a day in between to let my body recover. I would do most of the standard kinds of stuff like crunches and curls and also a lot of stretching. I’ve become a lot more adept and skilled at refining my workouts now because I’ve been doing it for a while. One big lesson that I’ve learned is that you have to make time for your body to recover and rest. STRIPLV: So you’re in such good shape even though we only hear you on screen in Scoob!, rather than seeing you. EFRON: Yes, it does seem like a bit of a waste when you put it like that, but seriously, looking good and feeling good is all about yourself in the end. The paparazzi and the fans don’t really matter in the sense that you’re not doing it for them, or at least you shouldn’t be. There’s no better feeling than knowing you’re fit, and when you know you’re healthy, you feel a great sense of accomplishment, and you want to be able to keep pushing yourself like that. STRIPLV: How would you define your healthy spirit? EFRON: I like to think I’m pretty adventurous, and I set the bar as high as possible for myself. Earlier in my career, I took my responsibility towards my work and all the young fans I had probably too seriously. I put too much pressure on myself, and now I try to be more present each day and more open to what I’m doing, rather than worrying about everything else that comes with my work. STRIPLV: Where do you get your driven side in terms of wanting to test your limits and be an over-achiever? EFRON: My dad has been a very big influence on me. When I was growing up, he always told me that, “if you’re going to do something, you need to do it right.” His philosophy was what guided me and still guides me. I often speak to him and ask for his advice. My dad taught my brother and me both to be very serious and disciplined at whatever we did. It definitely made me tougher in terms of being more ambitious and not giving up. That kind of motivation is at the heart of whatever success I had at an early age, and that same spirit still keeps me wanting to push myself harder than ever. STRIPLV: Do you still yearn to go back to your musical roots that saw the High School Musical films first turn you into a star? EFRON: I have very fond memories of that time in my life, and music and singing is still very much part of my soul. It reminds me of being very happy and carefree, and expressing yourself through singing and dancing is a really important thing. I never feel like I need to escape or run from that time in my life. Of course, I needed to do other things and challenge myself in other ways - that’s only natural. But I’ve always tried to use the energy and excitement that my fans from those films have shown towards me and use it to my advantage. I want to be able to take those people who enjoyed my work then and make them see what I can do now and make them interested in the characters I’m playing today. The fact is I’ve grown up, and I’ve gone on a journey where I’ve been able to learn and grow with each film and each role. I’ve been very lucky to have got my life together and experience a new kind of awareness where I’m enjoying every moment so much more. Ultimately, I wanted to do something different with my career. Money was never the key thing for me. My goal was to do dramas and slowly build my career by finding good roles and working with a lot of talented actors, and I feel I have done that. STRIPLV: Do you miss your musical theater roots, though? EFRON: I grew up being inspired by films like Singing in The Rain, so my heart is never very far away from that genre. For me, there’s always been a kind of magic to that kind of world because it enables you to let your imagination run wild, and there’s a special spirit that comes with those kinds of stories. I’m sure that one day I’ll do something along those lines again. STRIPLV: Do you ever wonder how someone like yourself who grew up in a farming region of California like San Luis Obispo managed to become an actor? EFRON: (Laughs) I was very lucky that my family was so supportive of me, and when things would ever get chaotic, I could always turn to them to keep calm and stay grounded. That’s very important when you’re getting a lot of attention, and you’re still figuring out who you are as a teenager. Then as you get older, you need to find good friends who are real and who you know you can count on. But I think I always had the kind of confidence that comes from knowing that I had my family behind me. STRIPLV: Has the kind of sex symbol image and fan worship ever gotten you down? EFRON: I’m so grateful for the kind of life that performing and acting have given me that I will always appreciate how much people have enjoyed my work. I chose this life, and it gives me a lot of joy to know that I have fans who have been very loyal and supportive of me over the years. STRIPLV: You have your production company, Ninjas Runnin’ Wild - does this give you the freedom you’ve always wanted? EFRON: Being a producer is incredibly fun right now; it’s really hard. I realize all the stuff we want to do. But essentially, I have the power as a producer to find the material early on and cater it to our needs. We can reach a director who is off the studio list who we really believe in. And really align ourselves and surround ourselves with people we went to work with, make cool movies more like our taste. I tend to like real, grounded material. It can then be any genre; we won’t just hire someone who’s made successful studio films and take risks somewhere. It’s fun; we just craft it. It’s great - it’s where you get to experiment and challenge the audience. STRIPLV: You’ve been in the public eye now for nearly 15 years, and seem to navigate the pitfalls. How have you dealt with it? EFRON: Deal with it? Dealing with it sounds like a condition, but it’s a side effect of what happens. I’m very lucky to have those people, but ultimately, I feel like I’m well-practiced at it.