JAPAN: Zac Efron kisses Michelle Pfeiffer for his latest film 'New Year's Eve' and tells Japanese fans it was a dream come true for him

Record ID: 466010

  • Title: JAPAN: Zac Efron kisses Michelle Pfeiffer for his latest film 'New Year's Eve' and tells Japanese fans it was a dream come true for him
  • Date: 15th December 2011
  • Summary: EFRON STANDING UP AND WALKING OFF STAGE
  • Embargoed: 30th December 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Japan, Japan
  • Country: Japan
  • Reuters ID: LVA92QB4679JXFG6WJR6GKB45XDD
  • Story Text: American film star Zac Efron said on Thursday (December 15) kissing Michelle Pfeiffer in his latest film was a dream come true.
    Efron, known in Japan mainly for his teen idol roles in films such as "High School Musical" and "Charlie St. Cloud", travelled to Japan to promote new Hollywood romance "New Year's Eve" this week.
    Showing his excitement to be back in Japan Efron greeted fans and media in Japanese at a conference in Tokyo.
    "Konnichiwa! Zac Efron desu. Arigato gozaimasu," or "Hello, I'm Zac Efron, thank you very much," the actor said on stage and later told attendees that not only the language but Japanese food interested him as well.
    A follow-up to director Gary Marshall's $216 million global hit "Valentine's Day," the holiday movie stars Zac Efron, Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro, Halle Berry, Ashton Kutcher, Hilary Swank, Sofia Vergara, Jessica Biel, Katherine Heigl, Sarah Jessica Parker, and many more brand names in smaller roles or fleeting cameos.
    In a series of inter-connected stories and characters set against the backdrop of New Year's Eve and the ball drop at New York's Times Square, characters look for love and meaning in their lives as they approach the time where one year becomes history and another opens to possibilities.
    The reunion between co-stars Michelle Pfeiffer and Efron was a welcome one, they had previously co-starred in "High School Musical" and Efron was excited to be working with Pfeiffer again.
    "I'll never forget when she called my cell phone and asked if I was going to be doing this film because if I was doing it then she was more interested in doing it and we should talk about the role and we should make it more romantic. I was like 'Oh my gosh', it was the best phone call I ever got," a smiling Efron told the media.
    The love story focusing on Paul, played by Efron and Ingrid, played by Michelle Pfeiffer also included a romantic on-screen New Year's kiss, which Efron says he nervously practised for beforehand.
    "And then my favourite moment has to be kissing Michelle just because I kinda was nervous about it and I had thought about how it was going to happen so I was practising by myself without her. And I imagined it going down very, very perfect," Efron said.
    A dynamic year for Japan and the rest of the world, the film touches on creating magic and chance in the unlikeliness of circumstances for happiness and true love.
    Efron felt that the movie's theme touched on the significance of the New Year's Eve holiday as an opportunity for people to move forward and create positive experiences in the new year.
    "Yes, this is what New Year's is all about. That's what this movie is for. The new year is a very, very crucial time for everybody to remember to let go of the past, it is out of our control, now is the time to focus on new year and making sure you put all of your love and hope, and focus on making it the best year possible," Efron explained.
    "New Year's Eve" will premier in Japan on December 23.
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