Zac Efron delivers high-impact performance in 'Charlie St. Cloud'

July 25, 2010|By Carrie Rickey, Inquirer Movie Critic
(Page 3 of 3)

"Zac is a performer capable of great subtlety and vulnerability," said Claire Danes, DiCaprio's costar in Romeo + Juliet and Efron's in Me and Orson Welles. That accurately describes his work in Charlie St. Cloud, which, despite the vealcake shots of its shirtless star, is an emotional portrait of mourning and moving on.

"He has incredible talent, drive, and work ethic," says Steers, unsurprised by last week's announcement that the actor is forming his own production company, Ninjas Runnin' Wild. "He's taking control of his own career," Steers says, "creating his own opportunities. That's how it's done."

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A few years back, Efron sought out DiCaprio. "I wanted to pick his brain. We had a coffee. We hung out for about a minute. I would like to have his attitude and awareness and humility."

Efron has the humility thing down. And he's working on the awareness. He doesn't, like so many other young stars seeking a mature audience, feel obliged to assume R-rated trappings. "I don't think that to be perceived as an adult or cool that I need to carry a gun."

"There's a difference between watching a guy with a gun and watching Philip Seymour Hoffman with a gun," he says of the Oscar-winning actor. "You won't be seeing me with one until I can carry one like Hoffman."

"How do I know if a script is for me? I ask, 'Does it feel genuine? Can I do it genuinely? Can I do it genuinely without having to change it?' "

 


Contact movie critic Carrie Rickey at 215-854-5402 or crickey@phillynews.com. Read her blog, "Flickgrrl," at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/flickgrrl/.

Movie

Charlie St. Cloud

Opening Friday at area theaters

 

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