10 Acting Performances Way Better Than You Thought They'd Be

4. Zac Efron - Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile

Will Smith Genie
Netflix

Zac Efron, still best known by many people as the teen heartthrob from High School Musical and star of frat-bro comedies rather than a serious and respected dramatic actor, seemed a strange choice when he was announced to be playing Ted Bundy, one of the most notorious serial killers in history.

People's fears were hardly assuaged when Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile's first trailer was set to upbeat jazzy music and focused more on the actor's charm and charisma rather than the fact he was playing one of the most evil men that ever lived.

While the movie itself doesn't bring anything new to either the crime thriller or courtroom dramas, and boasts one of the strangest ensembles in recent memory that includes The Sixth Sense's Haley Joel Osment, The Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons and Metallica's James Hetfield, Efron delivers the greatest performance of his career by quite some distance and fully inhabits the role of Bundy in a magnetic turn flecked with hints of undeniable darkness.

The undoubted highlight of a decidedly average movie, Efron shows previously-unseen range to deliver an utterly compelling lead performance that should go some way to silencing his doubters as the 31 year-old attempts to transition into more adult-orientated fare.

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