Zac Efron Makes Shift From Vanessa Hudgens To Zendaya As Musical Love Interest
Zac Efron has forever been associated with Vanessa Hudgens even after he wrapped High School Musical years ago. Their continued romance on screen, which eventually moved off screen for a while, captured the imagination of so many viewers. And now, it looks like he will get linked with Zendaya, a potential love interest in his upcoming musical film! Time to move over, Vanessa Hudgens.
The 28-year-old actor joined Hugh Jackman in an upcoming Fox musical called The Greatest Showman On Earth, which means that he will be going back to his roots as a performer. As soon as that casting was confirmed, many critics were very curious on who will play Zac’s love interest in the show. Now, it looks like Zendaya is in the talks.
“Zendaya is in negotiations for a starring role in Fox’s musical, The Greatest Showman On Earth,” reports Seventeen Magazine. “The musical is about the famous American showman P.T. Barnum, founder of the circus that became the traveling Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Hugh Jackman has already been cast in the lead role of P.T. Barnum, while Zac Efron is set to play his right-hand man. Zendaya is in talks to play a trapeze artist who steals Zac’s character’s heart!”
Zendaya and Zac Efron are set to join the cast of "The Greatest Show" musical: https://t.co/cOHmn1Lndw pic.twitter.com/Q2JM1ElWln
— Just Jared Jr. (@justjaredjr) July 13, 2016
While Zendaya is no trapeze artist herself, she will probably have a great time learning a new skill for a musical!
Seeing how Zac has been throwing himself into work, it’s no wonder that he has another film project lined up before he has even finished promoting Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates. In fact, all throughout this summer, he has been busy shooting Baywatch, promoting Dirty Grandpa, Neighbors 2, and other comedic movies that he seems to specialize in.
One of the reasons that the actor may be committing to work is to distract himself from the fact that he and Sami Miro, his girlfriend of two years, are no longer together. A source told People Magazine that “Zac tends to keep to himself and doesn’t seem to hang out with his coworkers often,” which is a sign that he is going through some heartbreak.
The actor also removed “all photos of Miró from his Instagram and stopped following her social media,” according to People.
Some publications have picked up on the fact that there is a sheen of sadness on Zac now.
“Yes, he’s rich and famous and hyperbolically sexy, a guy whose muscles test the pliability of human skin and who surely visits many thirsty millennials in their nocturnal fantasies,” reports the Week. “But under that swath of tan, veiny flesh and behind that piercing glare, there’s an undeniable sadness.”
???? #teamnosleep pic.twitter.com/8wrkpV9Qsf
— Zac Efron (@ZacEfron) July 5, 2016
“We now know that Efron was overcoming substance abuse during production, and it’s impossible to not think about that indescribable struggle when watching the mania swell in his eyes,” the same article continued. “Efron is drawn to roles about people trying to escape the banality of their lives, or who are unable to escape, especially artists harboring ambitions they can’t seem to reach.”
Going through a breakup and constantly pigeonholed as an actor must be a tough thing for the 28-year-old Hollywood star to face. He has expressed in other interviews that he would love to try his hand in roles that depart from his usual ones.
“I would love to gain 30 pounds and play an aging rock star,” Zac said in an interview with Us Weekly. “That’d be an awesome transformation.”
Maybe being back in the world of musicals with Zendaya as his romantic lead will change things up for him!
Do you think Zendaya will eventually replace Vanessa Hudgens as fans’ go-to associations with Zac Efron?
[Photo by Jordan Strauss/AP Images]
