High School Musical - Zac Efron/Troy Bolton Appreciation #12: Because Disney may have objectified him and we're not complaining about it! - Page 4

*PassionateJ* · 01-06-2010, 11:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AzureEyes♥ (View Post)

Don't worry. My own brain went there when I said it

hahah I

u

EHS posted HQ's of some Hairspray pics I never seen before and some cute ani's from an appearance of Zac in Rome

What team? - Some Hairspray UHQs, gifs

And great great article on Zac

The graduate - The National Newspaper

Quote:

Zac Efron is in a buoyant mood, which is a touch surprising considering the lack of privacy he has been afforded so far today. Love-struck teenage fans wait patiently outside the hotel where he is staying, hoping to get a glimpse of their hero. Many an A-lister has bemoaned the constant attention, but the 22-year-old actor seems at ease with it. “Some fans are very committed. They wait around for hours! I’m very lucky, I guess.” He will certainly hope this devotion translates into cinema attendance, as Efron is venturing somewhat into the unknown. Having left behind his role as Troy Bolton in the tremendously successful High School Musical series, the actor is going it alone and attempting to establish himself outside the franchise.

It’s not an easy road for a young actor. For every star who achieves longevity, there is a list of people who could not capitalise on their early success. But is this a new path for Efron, steering away from Zac mania into something more dramatic and critically credible? What will it mean for the millions of fans who loved him in his previous role?

The first of these new ventures is Me & Orson Welles, adapted from the Robert Kaplow novel and directed by the noted independent filmmaker Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused, School of Rock). While the story is fictional, the backdrop is real and takes place at an important moment in the history of American drama – the 1937 production of Julius Caesar at New York’s Mercury Theatre, a milestone in the career of its director and star, Orson Welles.

Efron plays Richard, a 17-year-old high school student who is in love with the stage and by chance gets a small part in the production after a roadside audition in front of Welles (played by Christian McKay). However, just as his theatrical dreams seem to have come true, he falls for Sonja (Claire Danes), a beautiful and ambitious production assistant. Unfortunately for Richard, she also catches the eye of Welles. Thus the teenager finds himself in a love triangle with one of the most famous men in America and must decide between his new love for Sonja and his long-term love for acting.

The Mercury is certainly a long way from East High, and Efron is aware that some of the audience who have come to see him may not even be aware of who Welles is. “I hope it can introduce them to the genius that is Orson Welles,” he says. “He’s an icon of cinema, of acting. I think younger audiences may not have heard of him, but that’s what’s great about this movie. Even though the story is fiction, there are some great characters who were real people, who they can then go on to learn about.”

Did he know much about Welles before the film? “I knew what everybody knew – the basics,” he admits. “But the more I learned about him the more interested I became. There were these excellent films he made and then there was also the man, the character that everyone knew. Christian plays him really well in this movie. He really sort of transformed into Welles.” The bulk of the production took place on the Isle of Man, just off the coast of Britain. “I was looking forward to the privacy,” Efron says. “I didn’t know much about it before I went and someone told me there weren’t a whole lot of people there, which sounded good to me. But when we got there I saw that, actually, there were a lot of people there, and I think we met all of them. Everyone was very welcoming, but really we filmed all day in the theatre so we didn’t get to go out much.”

The road to superstardom began early for Efron. Starting his career in theatre, he made his small-screen debut at 14 in the cult series Firefly and subsequently appeared in the popular American TV shows CSI and NCIS. In 2006, he was cast in the production that would introduce him to the world – Disney’s High School Musical. In this modern-day Grease, Efron landed the lead male role of Bolton, the basketball-playing heartthrob of the fictional East High School. Despite only being shown on the Disney Channel (it was later released on DVD), the first film was a huge success and spawned a 2007 sequel. In between the films, Efron also appeared in the musical remake of Hairspray, which was a critical and box-office success. By 2008, the HSM phenomenon showed no sign of waning, but the third instalment would, in fact, be the last. High School Musical 3: Senior Year was the first of the films to be released in cinemas and Efron went on a whistle-stop world publicity tour.

The cast members have differed in their approach to life since then. Efron’s on-screen love and real-life girlfriend, Vanessa Hudgens, kept close to her previous work with the musical film Bandslam, while others took a different path, such as Lucas Grabeel, who starred in the Oscar-nominated drama Milk with Sean Penn.

Efron appears to be taking a direction more in common with the latter, but he insists he has not turned his back on any genre. “There’s no master plan,” he says. “I’m very strict about what scripts I want to read and so I suppose in that sense there’s some direction, but I would never stick to one type of film or anything like that. I’m very proud of the High School Musical films, and one day I might go back to that sort of film. At the moment I want to try new things, take on roles that present a challenge. But I never rule out doing another musical, or any kind of film as long as it’s interesting to me.”

Me & Orson Welles went to three festivals before it found a distributor. Preview footage at Cannes was met with high praise from critics, but the businessmen did not share that enthusiasm and so the film travelled to the Toronto International Film Festival, where it got its first full screening. Despite organisers predicting it would be one of the biggest successes of the festival, the movie again failed to find an American distributor. The breakthrough finally came after the film was shown at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas.

Efron, among others, felt great relief when the film was finally picked up. “If you make a good film, then you want people to see it,” he says. “The people involved were confident that it would find a distributor, so I don’t think there was any panic. I’m just happy it’s out there now and audiences can enjoy what we did.” Indeed, Me & Orson Welles has received positive critical reaction. It has been described as “one of the best movies about theatre” by the respected American film critic Roger Ebert, and many reviews have been complimentary about the maturity of Efron’s performance and his ability to hold his own opposite older and perhaps more dramatically experienced co-stars. Unfortunately, the film was not given the wide release the filmmakers surely would have wanted. At its peak it played in fewer than 200 cinemas in the US. It enjoyed a better reception in Europe, where Efron’s teenage following came out in force to support the film.

Next up for the actor is another literary adaptation. He will play the title role in The Death and Life of Charlie St Cloud, based on the book by Ben Sherwood about a boy who can see his deceased brother and keeps him company by working in the cemetery where he is buried. “I just thought it would be another challenge for me, an interesting part to play,” Efron says. “There’s so much to work with – grief, loyalty. The bond between the brothers in the book is very strong so I thought that would be a great part for me. I’m glad I got the opportunity to do it and I hope I can surprise audiences who maybe only know me for a certain type of movie.”

It appears that being known for “a certain type of movie” will be Efron’s biggest obstacle: how do you carve a new niche without losing the following that made you famous in the first place? It’s a problem that has faced many young actors, and there have been just as many failures as successes. Fortunately, Efron need only look to the 1980s for inspiration from another young musical talent. Kevin Bacon initially struggled to break the teen-rebel stereotype thrust upon him after the success of the film Footloose (a role Efron almost played in a remake that never came to fruition). But Bacon soon went on to be one of the most versatile and prolific actors in American cinema. Only time will tell if Efron achieves the same heights, but he is confident about his future. “I’m enjoying what I’m doing right now, taking on new challenges and doing what I love to do,” he says with a smile. “There’s not a whole lot more you could ask for.”

suddenly · 01-08-2010, 07:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AzureEyes♥ (View Post)

I get kinda

whenever he's like, touching himself... like his hand on his leg... I don't know why I find that fascinating but I do

I totally know what you mean! Like, when he's feeling himself, y'know?

I tried to make it not sound dirty, but I couldn't

Thanks for all the news, Jess!

_alexandragrace · 01-08-2010, 11:50 AM

thanks for the news jess d:-)

Wild Spirit · 01-08-2010, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AzureEyes♥ (View Post)

I get kinda

whenever he's like, touching himself... like his hand on his leg... I don't know why I find that fascinating but I do

It's so hot!!

WhereverYouAre_ · 01-08-2010, 05:30 PM

I'm with Dani on that!

Thanks for that, Jess!

heartunprepared · 01-08-2010, 06:22 PM

Thanks so much Jess for bringing over the most important things from the Z board

I go through phases where I'm good at it and then other times I've posted last every time something comes up and then I sort of forget to bring them later

*PassionateJ* · 01-08-2010, 11:06 PM

No prob everyone

Quote:

Originally Posted by AzureEyes♥ (View Post)

Thanks so much Jess for bringing over the most important things from the Z board

I go through phases where I'm good at it and then other times I've posted last every time something comes up and then I sort of forget to bring them later

Oh its NP Dani

Im the same way so its okay....like esp when it was MAOW promo....and I was super busy I couldnt keep up

When I can I try to bring it over though hehe

And new Zac candids from yesterday

Zac Efron taking a morning drive in his new Audi A5

Quote:

But if enormous stacks of messy hair don't float your boat, fear not! Zac Efron is leaving his singing and dancing days behind him to twinkle his acting toes in Charlie St. Cloud on JUNE 25. An adaptation of the slightly wet but rather charming book by Ben Sherwood, he plays a young man who keeps a promise to his dead brother never to leave him behind by living in a graveyard so he can hang out with his brother's ghost - until, of course, a girl comes along. After Me and Orson Welles this is only Efron's second grown-up starring role, so it will be interesting to see if he can confirm his status as a future superstar.

FYI: I think thats the UK release date

MAOW made the long list for the BAFTA Awards

BAFTA Award Noms: Long List Revealed – Deadline.com

Nominations come out January 21st!

Quote:

Supporting Actor

Aaron Wolff (Danny Gopnik) – A Serious Man
Alan Rickman (Professor Severus Snape) – Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Alec Baldwin (Jake) – It’s Complicated
Alfred Molina (Jack) – An Education *
Anthony Mackie (Sgt. JT Sanborn) – The Hurt Locker
Brian Geraghty (Specialist Owen Eldridge) – The Hurt Locker
Christian McKay (Orson Welles) – Me and Orson Welles *
Christoph Waltz (Col. Landa) – Inglourious Basterds *
Christopher Plummer (Leo Tolstoy) – The Last Station *
Dominic Cooper (Danny) – An Education
Matt Damon (Francois Pienaar) – Invictus
Stanley Tucci (Mr Harvey) – The Lovely Bones *
Stanley Tucci (Paul Child) – Julie & Julia
Timothy Spall (Peter Taylor) – The Damned United
Zachary Quinto (Spock) – Star Trek

Supporting Actress

Anna Kendrick (Natalie Keener) – Up in the Air
Anne-Marie Duff (Julia) – Nowhere Boy *
Claire Danes (Sonja Jones) – Me and Orson Welles
Diane Kruger (Bridget von Hammersmark) – Inglourious Basterds
Emma Thompson (Headmistress) – An Education
Julianne Moore (Charley) – A Single Man *
Kristin Scott Thomas (Mimi) – Nowhere Boy *
Mariah Carey (Mrs Weiss) – Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Mo’Nique (Mary) – Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire *
Olivia Williams (Miss Stubbs) – An Education
Penelope Cruz (Carla) – Nine
Rachel Weisz (Abigail Salmon) – The Lovely Bones
Rosamund Pike (Helen) – An Education *
Susan Sarandon (Grandma Lynn) – The Lovely Bones
Vera Farmiga (Alex Goran) – Up in the Air

Adapted Screenplay

Crazy Heart
The Damned United
District 9 *
An Education *
Fantastic Mr Fox
In the Loop *
Invictus
Let the Right One In *
The Lovely Bones
Me and Orson Welles
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire *
The Road
A Single Man
Star Trek
Up in the Air *

Make Up & Hair

Avatar
Bright Star *
Coco Before Chanel *
District 9
An Education *
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus *
Inglourious Basterds
Julie & Julia
Me and Orson Welles
Nine
Nowhere Boy
The Road
Star Trek
The Young Victoria *

Costume Design

Avatar
Bright Star *
Coco Before Chanel *
District 9
An Education *
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Inglourious Basterds
Me and Orson Welles
Nine
Nowhere Boy
Sherlock Holmes
A Single Man *
Star Trek
The Young Victoria *

misskristen · 01-09-2010, 11:55 AM

thanks for all the updates Jess

WhereverYouAre_ · 01-09-2010, 04:25 PM

Wow!

Thanks so much for that Jess!

heartunprepared · 01-10-2010, 12:44 AM

I'm so happy that MAOW is getting some acknowledgement and some of the articles and reviews coming out are absolutely fantastic

_alexandragrace · 01-10-2010, 01:58 AM

i still have yet to see this :'(

heartunprepared · 01-10-2010, 03:05 AM

Don't worry, it isn't even playing in my country.

*PassionateJ* · 01-10-2010, 09:03 PM

NP ladies

I know this may be bad to say but I wish this leaked online so everyone can see it...and I can keep seeing it

Some cute ani's EHS made over the holidays

Oh the hair flip

Even though its late but so cute

Full Hearts · 01-11-2010, 02:56 AM

Love those!

Do not miss that air at ALL though!

suddenly · 01-11-2010, 10:44 AM

Love the animations, especially the first one!

Thanks again, Jess!


Fan Forum > Archived General Discussion > High School Musical > Zac Efron/Troy Bolton Appreciation #12: Because Disney may have objectified him and we're not complaining about it!