Following the release of “High School Musical,” the actor doubled down on light-hearted, teen-centric roles, appearing in films like “17 Again” and “New Year’s Eve.” But once his time as Troy Bolton wrapped up, Zac Efron’s career took an intriguing turn, with the actor focusing heavily on comedy, receiving praise for his performances in films like Seth Rogen’s “Neighbors” and the rom-com “That Awkward Moment.”
Since then, Efron has continued to make intriguing choices in a career filled with highs. From working with Harmony Korine on the psychedelic “The Beach Bum” to headlining his very own travel show on Netflix, Efron is a star who makes bold moves. Because of that, it’s sort of adorable how he’s so grateful about his start with “High School Musical.” Continuing his chat with AP Entertainment, the actor revealed he doesn’t have any remorse about playing Troy Bolton. “I don’t look back on it with any sort of, I don’t know, like regret or anything like that, that’s impossible. It’s like, that’s who I was at that time and I’m very proud of it,” the actor said, before declaring “‘High School Musical’ is one of the coolest things ever.”
In mid-December, before the debut of “The Iron Claw,” Efron received a coveted star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. There, during his speech, he shouted out his “High School Musical” director Kenny Ortega and franchise producer Bill Borden (via USA Today), saying, “You guys were both instrumental in giving me my start in ‘High School Musical.’ And for that, I’m just eternally, eternally grateful. You have no idea. I still think about it every day.”
