'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Firestarter recently dropped its trailer featuring Zac Efron. In the science fiction film, he plays Andy McGee, who must protect his daughter from the government's secret organization as they attempt to capture her. Fans are looking forward to seeing him in action in the sci-fi movie.
The 34-year-old started as Disney's High School Musical heartthrob and star basketball player. He has since appeared in a few hits, such as Bad Neighbors and Baywatch.
Being a versatile star, Zac Efron has played numerous roles throughout his successful career. It has been an absolute treat for fans to watch him grow from a high school boy to an accomplished actor.
Nevertheless, a few of his intense roles in The Greatest Showman, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, and The Lucky One are praised more than the others. It is impressive to see him become a completely different person based on his varying roles.
From a US Marine who got lucky and survived Iraq in The Lucky One to a bubbly, young boy in New Year's Eve, Zac Efron has surprised viewers with his charming yet distinctive personalities. Thus, his roles in these films are the most renowned, along with a few other favorites listed below.
Five times Zac Efron played intense roles
1) The Lucky One
Merely saved by a photograph he found in the debris during an ambush in Iraq, Logan Thibault (Zac Efron), a US Marine, feels extremely lucky and forever grateful. After returning home suffering from PTSD, he journeys across Louisiana searching for the woman in the photograph.
Adapted from Nicholas Spark's novel, The Lucky One is an ideal blend of romance, loss, suffering, and drama. When Logan finds his guardian angel and manages to build a relationship with her, complications come along.
Zac Efron's role as a Marine with PTSD is subtly complex, and he proved it via his acting.
2) The Greatest Showman
When Barnum (Hugh Jackman) fails to organize a successful business, he rallies the outcasts of society with unique talents and bodily deformities, making them feel seen and forming his own circus.
Phillip Carlyle (Zac Efron) is Barnum's partner in business and the writer of the show. He builds a relationship with Anne (Zendaya), the African American trapeze artist with cotton candy-like hair. The movie shows an intricate relationship between the two filled with passion and pain as society will not approve of their relationship.
The Greatest Showman further uplifted Efron's career because of his unique part in the musical. This masterpiece enhanced his skills acutely, giving fans something to enjoy.
3) Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile
"Extremely wicked, shockingly evil and vile" were the exact words used to describe Ted Bundy, America's most ill-famed serial killer executed for murdering 30 women.
Zac Efron plays Ted Bundy in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. He displays the serial killer's surface and complicated life with his girlfriend, Liz Kendall (Lily Collins), as the film is based on the latter's memoir of their time together.
As Ted Bundy, Efron sets into complete character mode using his natural, particularly attractive features. He managed to hide the killer's notoriety while also remaining close to Bundy's character.
Though the movie deflected from showing the complete truth, it was an undeniably horrific and scary experience for the viewers.
4) Charlie St. Cloud
Charlie St. Cloud depicts the beautiful relationship between two brothers who are not readily willing to give up on each other. Efron plays the role of Charlie St. Cloud, a high schooler/sailor from a humble family background. Grim fate meets his family when his little brother passes away in a car accident that Charlie survives.
Obsessed with his late brother, he takes up the job of an attendant at the cemetery, refusing to move on with his life. However, maybe finding love will help him move on.
The plethora of mixed emotions is accentuated by Efron's skills, making viewers feel the very pain that Charlie suffers from.
5) New Year's Eve
With a range of subplots and renowned cast members, Zac Efron plays the role of a vivacious young guy, Paul, trying to help a woman fulfill the wishes on her bucket list before midnight. He also asks her for a favor in return.
The movie is set during a one-day holiday, the last day of the year, with several stories interconnected within. It is not based on a solo protagonist and thus, displays various characters in all its subplots.
Paul, one of the most excitable characters in the movie, must do his task to get what he needs. Efron plays his character flawlessly even in the mix of all the sub-stories, as Paul is vibrantly seen throughout. Regardless of the subplots, everything seems connected to Paul, making him the star of New Year's Eve.
Note: This article reflects the author's views.
