10 Actors Who Reinvented Themselves In Unexpected Ways

4. Zac Efron

Spencer movie
Lionsgate

What's Corbin Bleu up to these days? Or Lucas Grabeel? Or Monique Coleman?

Basically, what we're trying to say here is that High School Musical was a bit of a death sentence for any of the actors involved.

With the mild exceptions of Ashley Tisdale and Vanessa Hudgens, no one from the franchise has gone on to find any major success. No one, except for our boy Troy Bolton.

After becoming the instant bedroom wall dressing of many a young person, Zac Efron continued to play teen heartthrobs even after hanging up his basketball shoes.

17 Again, Hairspray, The Lucky One, Efron had one gear and he stuck to it. And then, all of a sudden, this nice young man got filthy.

Efron turned his hand to raunchy comedies and found serious success with them. He starred alongside Robert De Niro in Dirty Grandpa, Seth Rogen in the Bad Neighbours movies, and famously had trouble peeing in That Awkward Moment.

Of all the career turns for an actor to take, this one ranks up there with the most surprising. If only we'd "Bet On It".

No apologies, that song bangs.

Contributor
Contributor

Jacob Simmons has a great many passions, including rock music, giving acclaimed films three-and-a-half stars, watching random clips from The Simpsons on YouTube at 3am, and writing about himself in the third person.