Zac Efron (article)

Published by Mason Oldridge, 30 October 2026

Zac Efron burst onto our screens as teenage heartthrob Troy Bolton in the High School Musical film series, but since then, he has gone on to prove to be quite the versatile actor. Following his lead role in 17 Again, Efron has turned his hand to comedy, action, musical drama and biopics. Here we take a look at some of his films where he demonstrates his talents beyond shooting hoops.

Neighbors (2014)

Mac (Seth Rogen) and Kelly (Rose Byrne) are adjusting to life as new parents, which is made difficult when a hard-partying fraternity moves in next door, led by Teddy (Zac Efron). Things start off amicably with the married couple politely asking Teddy to keep the noise down, but when they end up having to call the police, a nasty feud ensues. In the sequel subtitled Sorority Rising, Mac and Kelly team up with Teddy as they struggle to sell their house when a rebellious sorority moves in, led by Shelby (Chloë Grace Moretz). This comedy film sees Efron shed his teen persona to become a frat boy and garnered a positive reception.

Dirty Grandpa (2016)

Lawyer Jason Kelly (Zac Efron) is tasked with driving his recently widowed veteran grandpa Dick Kelly (Robert De Niro) to Florida. However, Dick engages in debauchery, attempting to have sex with a much younger woman. Dick’s antics get a reluctant Jason into trouble multiple times despite his respectable and successful reputation and are incredibly disrespectful and insensitive to his late wife. Despite the big star names, this comedy film absolutely flops, earning its strongly negative critical reception. 

Baywatch (2017)

Zac Efron plays overly confident Olympic swimmer Matt Brody, one of a handful of trainees trying out for the Florida lifeguard team known as Baywatch, in this action comedy based on the 90s series of the same name. The cast is led by Dwayne Johnson, who stars as Lieutenant Mitch Buchannon, with Priyanka Chopra and Alexandra Daddario also appearing. The plot sees the team clash with the police as they uncover an illegal operation, leading to an explosive ending. The film features a stunning summer setting, with Efron suitably flexing his beach bod. Original cast members David Hasselhoff and Pamela Anderson cameo too.

The Greatest Showman (2017)

This is the greatest show! In this musical based on the life of circus ringleader PT Barnum, Zac Efron stars as playwright Phillip Carlyle, business partner to the protagonist played by Hugh Jackman. Other circus act characters include singer Jenny Lind, the bearded lady, acrobat and trapeze artist Anne Walker and dwarf performer General Tom Thumb. Both Jackman and Efron demonstrate their acting and singing abilities; while Barnum lets the fame go to his head and he risks his family as he grows close to Lind (Rebecca Ferguson), Carlyle develops feelings for Wheeler (Zendaya), but their relationship is affected by racial tension due to her African-American nationality in opposition to his high-brow status. The film contains great songs to accompany chapters of the story too, including The Greatest Show, A Million Dreams, Never Enough, This Is Me and Rewrite the Stars. The Greatest Showman is a feel-good caper and sees Efron take on a more serious role. 

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019)

This biopic sees Zac Efron portray the prolific serial killer Ted Bundy. This must be the most unconventional role for Efron in his career, yet he absolutely masters it, conveying Bundy’s convincing charm that hid the true monster in the performance of his lifetime, all the while made to look like him too. What is perhaps most interesting about the film is the way in which it does not actually show any of the barbaric crimes being committed and instead focuses primarily on his relentless insistence of innocence while imprisoned. It also covers some of the most unusual aspects of his fight for freedom, including his double escape, him dismissing his legal counsel to represent himself (which he does with surprising conviction) and him marrying Carole Ann Boone during his trial. Alongside this, we see his earlier girlfriend Liz Kendall gradually lose belief in his innocence, later learning that she gave his name to the authorities earlier on. Lily Collins, Kaya Scodelario and Jim Parsons are all miles away from their better known roles, while John Malkovich plays Edward Cowart, the presiding judge who utters the titular phrase when sentencing Bundy to death. Despite his marriage, Ted was forever smitten with Liz, begging her to never give up on him. This makes the final scene in which Ted writes hacksaw on the glass, his only glimmer of admittance, utterly chilling, as is the overlaying text and clips of the real Bundy during the end credits. 

Ricky Stanicky (2024)

Zac Efron stars as Dean, one of three adult friends along with Wes and JT, who created an imaginary friend called Ricky Stanicky to blame for a fire they started as kids and have used him as an excuse and scapegoat for their antics ever since. However, when suspicion grows and Ricky is invited to JT’s baby’s bris, they resort to hiring Rock Hard Rod, an alcoholic novelty singer, to portray Ricky. Efron may be the lead name, but it is John Cena who gives a praiseworthy performance as he conveys a vulnerability not usually seen in his characters. Despite comedic close calls such as Rod detoxing and the guys accidentally drugging the rabbi, leaving Rod to perform the circumcision, the bris goes well and the film feels like it has reached an early end. Unsure of where it is going to go next, the film takes an unexpected change in direction as Rod continues to live as Ricky and is employed at Dean and JT’s workplace. Dean’s journalist girlfriend Erin works on a feature about Ricky, which is more interesting for her than when she hilariously has to wait for a duck to move. However, the funniest moment of the entire film is when Dean, JT and Ricky’s boss Ted Summerhayes inadvertently performs the suggestive action dubbed air-dicking. The truth about Ricky is finally exposed, but the feature shows how Rod’s transformation to Ricky saw him become a better and more successful person.