Zac Efron and Leonardo DiCaprio – What do these two stars have in common? Nothing much if one looks at their filmography. Yet there’s one thing the two actors experienced that bonded them. Efron even revealed that the Titanic star had given him valuable career advice. But the High School Musical star still hated him.
Titanic and High School Musical catapulted DiCaprio and Efron into stardom. They gained legions of young teenage fans who adored them and worshipped the ground they walked on. However, DiCaprio held the teen idol title before Efron and The Greatest Showman actor had a problem with that since he grabbed all the girls’ attention.
Why Zac Efron Burned With Jealousy Towards Leonardo DiCaprio?
Over the years, Zac Efron has talked about how unappealing he found fame when he catapulted to stardom post High School Musical. Even though the star appreciated all the career doors that the franchise opened, he still didn’t like the intrusive aspects of being famous. In an interview with Fanbolt, he said:
“I can tell you that fame is probably the most unadorable thing about acting. High School Musical is what got me here today and I’m very grateful – but the fame part isn’t so fun.”
The actor said to The Independent, that the first time he recognized fame was due to Leonardo DiCaprio. The star recounted a tale from when he was in the fifth grade and found it annoying to see The Revenant star’s face plastered everywhere. Efron said:
“Leo, for me, was the first time I ever recognized fame. I was in fifth grade when he was literally on every magazine cover for Titanic and all the girls had these Tigerbeat magazines and I’d say, ‘Dude, what’s so great about this kid?’ I was jealous. I mean, you couldn’t help but hate this guy. And now, to some degree, I’ve made it and I’m going through the same thing.”
After Leonardo DiCaprio, it was Zac Efron who became a teenage heartthrob. So what did The Wolf of Wall Street star think about passing on the baton?
Leonardo DiCaprio Gave Zac Efron Valuable Life Advice
In an interview with Ace Showbiz, Leonardo DiCaprio revealed what he felt when Zac Efron took the heartthrob title from him. He said,
“I look at young Zac Efron and think ‘Go get it pal, leave me in peace.’ I was never happy with the teen idol tag at all – never wanted to be a sex symbol or all that stuff – it was the work that appealed to me. Really nothing else.”
Jokes aside, Efron once revealed that The Aviator star had given him a valuable bit of advice during a meeting. In an interview with GQ, the Baywatch actor said:
“I thought I was gonna ask him questions but he ended up asking me questions, and in that, he told me a lot. He said, ‘There’s one way that you can really f*** this all up. Just do heroin. If you steer clear of that—the other obstacles you’ll be able to navigate.’ And that makes sense, dude.”
The two actor’s paths are probably not going to cross anytime soon. But fans of these two would certainly love seeing them star together in a project. After all, it would revive all the nostalgic memories for them.
Titanic is available on Amazon Prime Video, and High School Musical is streaming on Disney+.
Source: The Independent
