Zac Efron has been fielding off rumors of his sexuality for a while now. Is he gay? Is he straight? Does it really matter? In his first gay-press interview with The Advocate, Zac opens up about gay marriage, the rumors surrounding him and why he almost chose to go commando for his latest film, The Paperboy. Woof!
The Advocate first opens up by discussing his dancing skills alongside co-star Nicole Kidman. In the trailer, the two share a dance with a nearly naked Zac in tighty whities in the rain. Intrigued? “Believe it or not, that dance in the rain wasn’t planned,” Zac shares with the magazine. “Nicole’s fun to work with because she’s very improvisational. She just started dancing with me, and we went with the moment.”
Zac later admits that after he filmed the scene, he realized he’d probably get a little bit of “attention” from the clip. He wasn’t wrong. Zac’s co-star Matthew McConaughey designed his own thong for Magic Mike so the Advocate wanted to know if Zac helped pick those soon-to-be iconic tighty whities. “I did, yeah. It’s a period movie, so there weren’t really a lot of choices. Initially, I wondered if my character would even wear underwear at all. But that would’ve been a very different movie.”
On director Lee Daniels saying Zac is ‘eroticized’ on film…
I’ve always just embraced Lee as a brilliant artist, so I followed him blindly, trustingly, and wholeheartedly. He’s searching for beauty and truth in every scene, so I believed in him and always felt safe. I was a fan of Lee’s work — I thought Precious was so marvelous and real — and I knew that he had a lot to teach me. All he required of me was that I be fearless, and that’s something I’m really working on right now in my career.
On his gay fan base…
I really felt that support after High School Musical. I think the gay audience related to my character Troy, because it really was a story of embracing who you are, no matter how different you might be, and not being afraid to show it. That’s a universal theme for everyone, but it specifically resonated with the gay community, and I felt very proud of that.
On tackling a gay role in the future…
I’d never take a role just for the sake of playing gay, but I’m always looking for a role that’s challenging, different, and entails some risk, so there’s no doubt in my mind that one of those characters will be gay at some point in the future. It’s always interesting to delve into unexplored territory, and that would be a new avenue for me. I definitely wouldn’t be afraid.
On marriage equality…
It’s an issue that affects so many people in my life — a lot of my close friends and some of the most influential people around me. I just want them all to be happy. It would make me so happy to see them able to live their lives and do what they want to do.
For Zac’s entire interview, check out Advocate.com.
The Advocate first opens up by discussing his dancing skills alongside co-star Nicole Kidman. In the trailer, the two share a dance with a nearly naked Zac in tighty whities in the rain. Intrigued? “Believe it or not, that dance in the rain wasn’t planned,” Zac shares with the magazine. “Nicole’s fun to work with because she’s very improvisational. She just started dancing with me, and we went with the moment.”
Zac later admits that after he filmed the scene, he realized he’d probably get a little bit of “attention” from the clip. He wasn’t wrong. Zac’s co-star Matthew McConaughey designed his own thong for Magic Mike so the Advocate wanted to know if Zac helped pick those soon-to-be iconic tighty whities. “I did, yeah. It’s a period movie, so there weren’t really a lot of choices. Initially, I wondered if my character would even wear underwear at all. But that would’ve been a very different movie.”
On director Lee Daniels saying Zac is ‘eroticized’ on film…
I’ve always just embraced Lee as a brilliant artist, so I followed him blindly, trustingly, and wholeheartedly. He’s searching for beauty and truth in every scene, so I believed in him and always felt safe. I was a fan of Lee’s work — I thought Precious was so marvelous and real — and I knew that he had a lot to teach me. All he required of me was that I be fearless, and that’s something I’m really working on right now in my career.
On his gay fan base…
I really felt that support after High School Musical. I think the gay audience related to my character Troy, because it really was a story of embracing who you are, no matter how different you might be, and not being afraid to show it. That’s a universal theme for everyone, but it specifically resonated with the gay community, and I felt very proud of that.
On tackling a gay role in the future…
I’d never take a role just for the sake of playing gay, but I’m always looking for a role that’s challenging, different, and entails some risk, so there’s no doubt in my mind that one of those characters will be gay at some point in the future. It’s always interesting to delve into unexplored territory, and that would be a new avenue for me. I definitely wouldn’t be afraid.
On marriage equality…
It’s an issue that affects so many people in my life — a lot of my close friends and some of the most influential people around me. I just want them all to be happy. It would make me so happy to see them able to live their lives and do what they want to do.
For Zac’s entire interview, check out Advocate.com.
