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Actor Zac Efron
Can you tell us a little bit about your character Charlie in your new film Charlie St. Cloud?
Charlie is a great character. He's a regular guy who is about to graduate from high school and start a new life in college. He promises his brother that no matter what he will always be by his side, but later that night they get into a car accident and his (Charlie) younger brother Sam tragically dies. Charlie is heartbroken and devasted and decides not to go to college and stays at the graveyard where his brother is buried and sees his ghost. They play catch everyday at the graveyard and Sam is very much alive to Charlie. It's pretty cool, from then on Charlie finds love with a girl named Tess and she sort of brings him back to life. So that's sort of the core of the story.
In this movie your character is able to see his dead brother; how did you prepare for this role?
Well I had my little brother play dead for a while and tried to talk to him and stuff...*laughs* no I'm sorry that was a dumb joke. I had all the emotional inspiration I needed because I grew up real tight with my brother. He's the cool kid and we always had fun hanging out and it was sort of us against the world. We had the same hobbies and interests and were a little competitive but hey I had a wingman my whole life! But when I thought about if I had gotten into a car accident and Dylan (his younger brother) had died as a result, that was all the emotional motivation I needed.
You have become a huge Hollywood star over the past few year, how do you manage to take everything in but still keep your feet on the ground?
I try and enjoy the good things and not really think about the bad things. Read the good reviews so to speak. I know what's real and what's just media hype, its very easy for me to differentiate between the two and I just try to stick with what's real and not let the rest of the stuff get me down. If you read way to much into that kind of stuff, you will go insane.
When your not on set making movies, what do you do in your everyday life?
I usually like to be out of Los Angeles. I like to travel and try to visit my family every chance that I get. This year we have been doing a lot of camping and going into the wilderness. There's no cell phones and technology. Its nice to just be away from civilization all together sometimes and just hang out with your friends and roast marshmallows.
You have been acting for a long time. When did you know you wanted to be an actor?
I think it was the first time I did a play. That very first time I was on stage. Even though I think I only had like two lines. Just working with all those people who were so creative and outgoing and focused and driven; they were all so multitalented. Everyone was really gifted and so talented. I just fell in love with the art and the all the people. In that community as opposed to other places like school, the bigger dork you were the more you were celebrated. Being unique was a positive.
Can you tell us why we should go see this film?
Charlie St. Cloud is an emotional rollercoaster. It has everything; fantasy, romance, drama. It has a great love story and some phenomenal performances from some great actors and at the core of it you have a movie that's all about the power of love and the magic of love. Its very cool and I can't wait for everyone to check it out.
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This article has 27 comments.
Great Job Natalie,
Love the questions, straight to the point and I have seen the movie Zac did a great job in the film!
Zac is sooo not fake. I hope he gets an oscar for this role. He seems to be evolving as an actor. btw...hope you interview him on his next project.