UNITED KINGDOM: Zac Efron greeted by hordes of screaming fans for the UK premiere of "The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud" in London

Record ID: 219050

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: Zac Efron greeted by hordes of screaming fans for the UK premiere of "The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud" in London
  • Date: 17th September 2010
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (SEPTEMBER 16, 2010) (REUTERS) WIDE OF BLUE CARPET AT "THE DEATH AND LIFE OF CHARLIE ST. CLOUD" LONDON PREMIERE ZOOM OUT FROM "WE HEART ZAC" SIGN TO CROWD AT BARRIER SCREAMING FANS AT BARRIER
  • Embargoed: 2nd October 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Reuters ID: LVA2O282AYCNKY8EGK8QCI6B9Y7W
  • Story Text: Zac Efron was greeted by the usual hordes of screaming - mostly female - fans in London's Leicester Square on Thursday (September 16) for the UK premiere of "The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud".
    But if they were expecting another "High School Musical", they may have been disappointed.
    The heart-throb of the wildly successful Disney teen-musical franchise says he wants to get serious with this film, taking on his most dramatic role to date by playing a young man tortured by his kid brother's death in "The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud".
    Based on Ben Sherwood's novel "The Death of Charlie St. Cloud", the movie sees Efron become a caretaker at a cemetery who plays catch every night with his brother's spirit, who only he can see.
    Five years later when a girl comes into his life, Charlie must choose between staying loyal to his dead brother, or moving on with his life and pursuing the girl he loves.
    For Efron, who found fame as the floppy-haired star of the "High School Musical" trilogy and went on to appear in the comedies "Hairspray" and "17 Again," working on this latest film was a chance to challenge his young fans to see him in a new light and attract new viewers.
    But most of all, it was an opportunity for the actor to challenge himself, inhabiting a character who spends much of his time grief-stricken, conflicted and emotionally damaged.
    "This is sort of an important movie for me because I-- it's the first dramatic thing I've been able to do so far, first dramatic character I've been able to play, and I took it really personally. I wanted to come through. There was a sense that I could totally fail and fall flat on my face in the execution and I enjoyed taking that risk as opposed to doing something safe again," he said on the red carpet at the premiere.
    He added that he hoped there more serious, dramatic roles to come.
    "Yeah, I mean, I would like to. I want to do everything though so I wouldn't put any limitations on me at this point," he said.
    Tackling heavier dramatic roles is not the only way Efron is taking his work to the next level - the 22-year-old Hollywood star has also started his own production company. Efron said, far from being nervous, he is relishing the chance to take more control over his career.
    "It's not daunting, it's exciting. I found that, rather than sitting around waiting for the perfect script to come, it's much easier to get involved with them at the beginning stages. As the producers you can help with the writing and you can help cast other great actors and pair them with directors," he told Reuters Television. "That's part of the fun of it now. You can make movies that you want to see in out in the theatres."
    "The Death and Life of Charlie St Cloud" hits UK cinemas on October 8.
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