LOS ANGELES ? Zac Efron likes to say the phrase ?Too good to be true.? That line can also sum him up. Is this guy for real?

Fans all over the world scream at the mere sight of him. He?s blessed with good looks. He seems to be wisely charting his post-?High School Musical? career, appearing in ?Me and Orson Welles? and boldly turning down ?Footloose? in favor of ?Charlie St. Cloud.? He has a pretty girlfriend, Filipino-American actress Vanessa Hudgens. And yet, he has stayed open and grounded through all the years that we?ve been interviewing him.

Zac?s voice still cracks like an adolescent boy?s, even though he?s now 22. And his hair is still an evolving sculpture. In this latest talk we had with him at the Ritz Carlton in Marina del Rey, California, Zac?s head appeared to be more elaborately messy than usual. It suits him.

In his new film, based on Ben Sherwood?s hit novel ?The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud,? Zac plays the lead role of a young man shattered by the death of his little brother, and his resolve to keep a promise. It?s the ideal vehicle to showcase Zac?s emotional range as he transitions into more adult roles. Kim Basinger, Ray Liotta, Amanda Crew and Charlie Tahan co-star in the movie by Burr Steers, who also directed Zac in ?17 Again.?

Below are excerpts from our chat:

Have you ever had an experience similar in the film, not necessarily tragic, but an eye-opener for you?

I definitely have. I don?t know if I?d want to talk about those because they?re personal. But that?s why, when I read ?Charlie St. Cloud,? I was moved by the story. All the emotional aspects really rang true to me. It was really easy for me to relate, having left home at 17. I?ve been on the road ever since. I left my brother at home, in school. Suddenly, my best friend, my little bro, is fending for himself in high school. I was around a lot less. I wasn?t there to guide him through that whole thing.

Your fans will probably adore you more after watching this movie. Do you plan to make more romantic dramas, perhaps one with Vanessa?

Yeah, I would like to do more romantic stuff. I loved working on the movie and finding something new. Amanda (Crew) was incredible to work with. We guided each other through this whole experience.

As far as working with Vanessa again, that?s something that we?d like to do. Of course, we?re trying to find a project. I wouldn?t say we?re actively pursuing that right now. Vanessa is doing way cooler stuff than I am. She?s doing ?Sucker Punch? with Zack Snyder. I?m jealous of what she?s doing, to be honest. Maybe she?ll want to slow down and do something with me (laughs). We?ll see.

You and Vanessa have been together for five years now. How do you manage to keep the relationship, especially since you?re both in show business?

First and foremost, we don?t flaunt it. It?s great for us personally and that?s enough. I try not to talk about it too much ? other than me talking about it now. We know what?s good about it. We don?t have to explain it. We don?t go out all that much. That?s (going out often) where you get into a lot of trouble.

You once said that you won?t get married until your 40s. Do you still feel that way?

I did say that. It still hasn?t changed. I don?t think I?m in any rush to do that. My parents didn?t really have a big wedding. I remember being there. I don?t think they were that young.

Between you and Vanessa, who?s more likely not able to sit still?

We?re both not sedentary. I?d much rather be out and about doing something. That?s why traveling has been so much fun. As hard as some of the long press days can be, it is so great to be able to visit different places, meet the fans and experience what life is like in other parts of the world.

Can you talk about how your family shaped who you are now?

We grew up in a middle class family. We never lived beyond our means. I had to save up to get the stuff I wanted. My parents always encouraged us to try new things. My dad was very sports-centric. Every day, it was like, ?Are we playing catch? What are we going to work on? You?re pitching? Are we going to play basketball??

My mom was really involved in keeping us interested in music. We were doing piano lessons, which we hated then. We always had something to do at home, aside from homework and video games. That was really helpful.

There were some kids who were really talented academically. I got good grades but I had to work 10 times harder than most of these kids. So I was like, ?What can I do? What can I find that?s good for me?? Then I found theater. I started doing these plays. Not only did no one else really do it, they were afraid to do it. So eventually, I became the weirdo around campus. Kids would say, ?Oh man, that theater dork.? But I finally found out who I was. I was the theater dork. It was good.

I understand that there?s an ?I Hate Zac Efron? club. Do you know about that and how do you feel about it?

I?m sure it?s still around and blossoming. One of my little cousins excitedly told me that there was a huge ?I Hate Zac Efron? club. This was right when ?High School Musical? was taking off. I?m sure they?re doing great. More power to them.

How do you handle all the screaming fans, who are mostly girls, when you?re beside Vanessa? How does she handle it when you?re surrounded by adoring females?

Most of the time they?re screaming for her, too. If I?m with Vanessa, she?s the one who draws more attention. I find it really frustrating walking around in public with her. Everybody looks at Vanessa and recognizes her. Then they go, ?Who is she with?? So it?s pretty funny. We get into more trouble when we?re together than when we?re running solo.

Were you relieved in a way when the ?Twilight? series broke? It must have taken some of the glare off you.

Prior to ?Twilight,? with all the ?High School Musical? thing and ?Footloose? talk, everything was too good to be true. I really wanted to slow down and work for this. Otherwise, it wouldn?t be a good story. It was such perfect timing. I?m so happy it worked out. Because I got to take a step back and live my life a little bit.

How do you stay down-to-earth?

That?s because I started doing this more as a hobby. It was something I did as an outlet for creativity. That?s how it started in theater and stuff. I have been around those guys who were way better performers. Luckily, I?ve learned from them. When you start auditioning, they are very straightforward with you, saying, ?Man, your chances are friggin? slim. No one makes it. You probably won?t.?

And I hang out with down-to-earth people. Also, I had my whole life before this. I was 18. I was older before things started to really get crazy. I was 19 when I was like locked in my apartment full-time. I?ve been on both sides. I don?t feel entitled to this. I just got very lucky. There?s no doubt in my mind that I was just at the right place at the right time, multiple times. And to still be here. I?ve been in places where other people wouldn?t have put in that extra 10 percent that I did and stick with it.

Can you talk about how you made that big decision to turn down ?Footloose??

When Kenny (Ortega) and I were talking about doing ?Footloose,? we were right in the middle of ?High School Musical 3.? When you are filming ?High School ?,? there?s nothing compared to that. Every day you show up, you are in your element, you are told to be free and creative and do whatever you want. Kenny was very supportive of us and very encouraging. It was the best possible experience. Plus you?re with all your friends. It was not work at all.

So when we talked about ?Footloose,? it immediately (snapping his fingers) appeared as the best possible scenario. It was too good to be true. It was like an opportunity to continue this fun we?ve been having for so long and in a bigger and better way. Still with Kenny but in a new style, away from ?High School Musical.? Not to mention how much they were going to pay.

When the film shaped up and we started to get in serious talks about it, I had to look in the mirror and ask myself if this is really what I wanted. Did I really want to do more of what was so much fun, what was too good to be true? Or did I want to take a step back, slow my roll, put in the work, try something different, take a risk? You know, get sh*t on a little bit and get dirty. And see how that goes.

The fans of ?High School Musical? are the best fans in the world. But the one thing they can?t do is say, ?I?m going to feel exactly the same way about you in 10 years.? It?s not like they have to follow me through this.

But it?s my responsibility to stay relevant. I can do that by changing things up and staying slightly ahead, experiencing things before my fan base. Make movies about those things. So that?s what I thought about ?slow and steady win the race. I want to prove myself. I?m not going to do it in ?Footloose.? I?d rather do it over time.

E-mail the columnist at rvnepales_5585@yahoo.com.