Zac Efron Gets Brutally Honest About the Downside of Fame: "I Wasn't Really Being Myself"

Updated on May 21, 2016 at 5:00 PM

Zac Efron may be known for being a total heartthrob, but he also has a really big soft side. During an interview with Elle magazine for its June issue, the Neighbors 2 actor got incredibly real about the downside of fame and how he turned his life around after getting sober in 2013. From his struggle with addiction to how he really feels about taking his clothes off for movie roles, he covers it all. Check out the highlights below!

On getting support from his parents: "My parents love me in very different ways. But they checked every box. My dad always taught me to be driven. I was always the shortest kid at school. Always the worst kid on the team. I'd come home after practice and my dad would build a basketball hoop. Then we'd go out and shoot 100 free throws. Pretty soon every time I got fouled I would make my free throws."
On how much skin he's willing to show in movies: "Let's just say I'm not opposed to anything. But if you're gonna pull your d*ck out, it'd better be for an Academy Award-winning movie."
On when he first met his Neighbors 2 costar Seth Rogen: "I was at a party. I was maybe 20. At the time, even a teenager's opinion of me was pretty low. I wouldn't say I was a fan of my work, you know? I went up and shook Seth's hand. I was like, 'You probably don't know who I am. Or you hate me.' And he's like, 'Oh man. You're gonna end up being a nice guy, aren't you?' He expected me to be the cockiest assh*le in the world."
On how being sober has changed his life: "What I found is structure. That led me to a balance of opposites: You get out of life what you put in. There was a moment when my morning routine was, like, get up and Google yourself. But that stopped, dramatically and instantly, probably three years ago. I realized that viewing yourself through other people's pictures is not living your own life. I wasn't really being myself. A lot of my hobbies had gone out the window. I couldn't skateboard or surf for fear of being followed. Crossing the line of fear is what leads to greatness."