Poster Boy to Oscar Contender

Here are some highlights from the interview the new issue of EW featuring Zac Efron:

On plotting his escape from the teen scene by transitioning from poster boy to Oscar contender: “I would love to just sit down and talk with Leonardo DiCaprio and Johnny Depp and pick their brains about their early careers, They do it because they love it, not because they enjoy being famous. You have to have good foresight and be really careful. If you don’t adapt and learn at a very young age, you can really mess up.”

On if he’s seen High School Musical 3: Senior Year: “I hope it’s better than the last one. (panics) I didn’t mean that the way it sounded!”

On getting paid to sing, dance and kiss his real-life girlfriend Vanessa Hudgens on the big screen: “After three movies together, Vanessa and I feel free to do whatever we want, and we’re just kind of silly and uninhibited. It felt like the best working vacation I’ve ever taken.”

To read the full cover article including how appendicitis nearly killed Zac, visit EW.com!