A matter of death and life

SO Zac Efron, has being good-looking held you back? “Um, I, Jeez,” he says stumbling for words before admitting, “It’s a big part of why I’m here and a big part of why my fans come to the movies.”

At the same time it makes him more driven to attract the attention of people who aren’t so swayed by that sort of thing.

People have preconceptions of the wholesome star of the High School Musical films. Now he has a not-sosecret weapon to confuse them – what he calls “this ugly beard”, stroking the clumps of facial hair adorning his face.

You assume the beard is for a part.

He seems uncertain. “It could be for something I don’t know, I don’t even know what it’s going to look like until I grow one”. As an afterthought he adds, “…and just to set fire to the internet” – a reference to the inordinate amount of interest in putting images of him on the web.

Such are the trials and tribulations of being a teen heart-throb, or rather one who wants to show he’s not just a pretty face but a good actor too.

Since singing and dancing as HSM’s Troy Bolton three times, he’s starred on screen in 17 Again and Hairspray, with the drama Me And Orson Welles a shift away from his usual teen roles. He opted out of the Footloose remake because he felt it too similar to what he’d already done.

Now comes The Death And Life Of Charlie St Cloud, as a young sailor who sees dead people, notably the younger brother killed in a car accident.

It’s all very American and sentimental and the sort of thing that won’t offend Efron’s many fans.

When he read the script he recognised many similarities between Charlie and his own philosophy. Like Charlie, as he was about to go to college when “all this” happened – film fame in Efron’s case, a death in the family in Charlie’s case.

“I had that mentality that if I put my mind to it I could accomplish anything. That was really the mantra that’s responsible for me being here today,” he says, holding court in Claridge’s hotel in London hours before the Leicester Square premiere.

“Then there was also the relationship between the brothers, which I thought was very well written and also something I had some personal insight into, some perspective on.

“And as the story happens – the car accident and things like that – I could see myself going on that path.

I could relate to Charlie in a lot of ways.”

He doesn’t want to go into the question of what he considers ideal roles. “This turned out to be an ideal role, working with Burr (Steers, the director) and figuring out this character turned out to be an experience I wouldn’t trade for the world.

“But did I know before I read the script that it was an ideal role? Not at all. I can’t necessarily pinpoint the genre it would be in. I don’t know, I’m not sure.”

Like any actor, the parts that appeal are “good ones” or “ones that are a bit scary”. To some extent, his destiny is in his own hands after forming his own production company, Ninjas Runnin’ Wild. “We’re looking at all sorts of things but trying to find something in the crime world,” he says.

Efron’s already bought the rights to a Swedish film called Snabba Cash, about a young man who becomes a runner for a cocaine dealer.

“I really like the story because it’s about a guy who, for very innocent reasons, finds himself over his head – which is just about explains everything in my life up to this point. So I like that.”

So does he really feel over his head.

“Yeah, sure, sometimes.”

While admitting the stakes are high, it’s an exciting time. “I have a lot to learn but at the same time feel hungry, feel ambitious and in no way does the task ahead seem daunting.

“I’m just purely trying to navigate all the twists and turns right now.

There’s never been a more exciting time. The more I learn, the less I need to do. I’m just excited about everything coming up. With the production company we’ve really feel we’ve got the ball moving.”

■ The Death And Life Of Charlie St Cloud (12A) opens in cinemas tomorrow.