June 8, 2007 - Adults over 25 might not be familiar with his name, but Zac Efron is one of the hottest young actors in Hollywood today. Efron’s fanbase increased exponentially after his starring role in the Disney TV movie, High School Musical. Girls fell for the California teen who proved he could sing as well as act.
The soundtrack for High School Musical spawned a series of hits, and five songs with Efron in the credits appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in early 2006. In fact, High School Musical was so popular that Disney ordered up a sequel which is set to air in August 2007.
But Efron’s not resting on his Disney laurels. Director Adam Shankman took notice and cast him in New Line Cinema’s latest version of John Waters’ Hairspray, the 1988 movie musical that was the inspiration for a Tony award-winning Broadway play. Sporting darker hair and a little more weight, Efron plays Link Larkin, a teen heartthrob who stars on a Baltimore-based dance show.
Efron did study the original Hairspray in order to prepare for his role. “It was incredible. I had to go watch the first [movie] because they’re not your typical kind of projects,” said Efron. “It’s amazing. You don’t know that until you’ve watched the show. The script seems very self-explanatory but when you go and watch the first film, you get the feeling of what it really means. It definitely changes things a little bit.”
After watching the ’88 movie which starred Ricki Lake, Divine, and Jerry Stiller, Efron understood just how to play Link Larkin. “You’re allowed to be kooky. You’re allowed to be weird, and allowed to be fun.”
Efron admits his Hairspray character is a different sort of guy than he’s used to playing. “He’s different. A little bit shallow, a little bit self-absorbed. Ultimately pretty funny and cool, so I dig it.”
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Hairspray starring Efron, Nikki Blonsky, John Travolta, Queen Latifah, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Amanda Bynes, Allison Janney, Brittany Snow, and Elijah Kelley is rated PG for language, some suggestive content and momentary teen smoking.
