By Christina Radish

Zac Efron at the premiere for "Watchmen" held at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, Calif. on March 2, 2009.

In the Warner Bros. Pictures comedy 17 Again, Mike is given another chance when he is miraculously transformed back to the age of 17. And in trying to recapture his best years, he could lose the best things that ever happened to him.

High School Musical star Zac Efron, now 21 years old, spoke to MediaBlvd Magazine about the opportunity to play a much more adult character.

MediaBlvd Magazine> This seems like the perfect transition after doing High School Musical. Did you see this movie that way?

Zac Efron> The number one question I’ve been asked for this movie is, “If you could go back, would you change anything? If you could be 17 all over again, what would you do different? Would you go down this road?” Absolutely! This is the best job in the world. I’m having the time of my life. I wake up every day with a new challenge, whether it’s filming, learning a new skill set, or interviews and that kind of stuff. It’s always fun. It’s always interesting. It’s always a challenge. I’m very happy with that and I’m very happy with my life right now. And, 17 Again was exactly what I was looking for. This is an opportunity to work with a brilliant cast and an amazing director, and it was the chance to switch things up. It does take place in high school, in a high school setting, but it’s not a very high school character, and that’s what I want to do more of.

MediaBlvd> How did you and Matthew Perry approach playing this same character, at different ages?

Zac> Matthew shot a couple days, and then I’d come in and shoot. I was able to see a couple of scenes that he had done, but I know that most of the work we did on figuring out the character was just done in rehearsals. We had a couple days where we were able to just hang out and talk and figure out the key moments.                                  

MediaBlvd> What experience did you draw upon to play a character who is a father

since you’re not a father?

Zac> I thought about the way that my dad tried to have those talks with me and my little brother. He was always very passionate and energetic, and he delivered them like a champ. He was just really excited.

MediaBlvd> There is so much physical comedy in this movie. How was it trying to contain yourself? Were there particular scenes where you just kind of lost it and had to do over and over?

Zac> Yeah. The fun thing with Tom Lennon was that we didn’t necessarily have to stick to what was written. We tried to, but it was virtually impossible with Tom.

MediaBlvd> What was it like to have to defend yourself against a lightsaber wielding, sci-fi techno-geek?

Zac> That was serious. I hit Tom pretty hard one day, and I just thank God it was during rehearsals with the rehearsal lightsabers because otherwise I’m pretty sure he would have less face right now.

MediaBlvd> Did you really get slapped?

Zac> Yeah! It was amazing to watch everybody have so much fun that night. It was funny. It started slow, and Tom was very nice about it. He was like, “There’s no way to fake a slap. We’re just going to have to go for it.” And, he did. He knew how to do it. We had a stunt coordinator that day who was instructing everyone how to slap and he said, “You guys really got to sell it! You have to slap him!” So, they were slapping me.            

MediaBlvd> The friendship in this film, between Mike and Ned, is great. Did you have that sort of friendship during your school days?

Zac> I had friends from all different cliques. I didn’t just stick to one group of friends. I had them in all different areas of high school. So, I’m sure I had several of these friendships.

MediaBlvd> Do you have a best friend?

Zac> Yeah, I’ve got four or five best friends. We’re all about the same. We’re geeky, fun-loving guys.                           

MediaBlvd> In the movie, you help your son get the girl. Do you play matchmaker in real life or have you helped any of your friends get the girl?

Zac> Maybe with some best friends or close friends, but it’s not a top priority in my life. They’re doing pretty good for themselves.

MediaBlvd> What was your nerdiest time, or did you just never have that?

Zac> I was pretty cool until about freshman year of high school, and then it was downhill until I was about 17, when it all came back. But, that was the time that I was just average. I worked hard in school and got good grades, but I was not that cool. I just thought I was cool. I wasn’t bulled that bad, or anything like that. I just wasn’t the “it” guy at school.

MediaBlvd> What did you get in trouble for most in high school? Was there anything that you should have gotten busted for, but you got away with?

Zac> I looked at a couple papers when I was taking tests, and stuff like that. It was small things. I got in trouble once. I actually got sent home from high school because I went up to the front of my Spanish 3 class and I was going to write a sentence on the board, but my pants fell down in front of the class. Everyone starting laughing. It wasn’t that big of a deal, but the teacher got really flustered and upset and sent me home. That was probably the most I got in trouble. 

MediaBlvd> Is there a piece of advice you got growing up, that really stands out in your mind now, or is there anything that you’d want to go back and tell yourself?

Zac> Everything is heightened when you’re a teenager. You feel like you’re an adult when you’re 17, and you have the social awareness of an adult, but that doesn’t really apply in high school because everyone’s young and stupid. It’s hard, if you take it too seriously. So, I’d probably go back and tell myself to chill out.

MediaBlvd> The movie talks about growing up, being mature and embracing what you have. What is your perspective of getting older?

Zac> I’m having fun right now. Whatever this age is, I’m thoroughly enjoying it. I think it’s just getting better.                                                                                                              

MediaBlvd> What made you decide to drop out of Footloose?

Zac> I was just looking for a change.

MediaBlvd> Do you know what you’re doing next?

Zac> I’m putting something together with (director) Burr Steers. It’s early in development, but it’s called The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud.