Miles Teller and Zac Efron met while filming the bromance comedy That Awkward Moment. Almost a decade has passed since they worked on the rom-com with Michael B. Jordan, but the two are still great friends to the point that The Iron Claw actor asked his pal to give a speech for him before receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. What the famed actor got from his former co-star was a hilarious roast that I think High School Musical fans will get a kick out of.
The High School Musical trilogy are Disney Channel Original Movies guaranteed to remind you of your childhood, and Zac Efron was the face of them. He was on posters plastered on childhood bedroom walls because of these movies, and he made many feel butterflies as they swooned over songs like "Bet On It." You better believe that Efron’s co-star and friend Miles Teller referred to that in his hilarious speech (via ET), and HSM fans will relate to it:
He was on coffee mugs and underwear and lunch boxes and more probably. Those are just the items I own. [...] I’m sure some people out here still have some lunch boxes.
It must have been such a unique experience for one Disney movie to bring a young actor so much fame. As a teenager before High School Musical, Zac Efron was known for starring in television movies, and he had a lead role in the then-WB series Summerland. Then came the Kenny Ortega-directed movie musical series and everything changed for the actor.
Like Miles Teller says in his speech, Zac Efron's triple-threat talents have not gone unnoticed as not all DCOM stars get Hollywood Walk of Fame honors decades later. The Top Gun: Maverick star made sure to mention that it wasn’t important for Efron to be on the cover of magazines. The Hairspray actor wanted to establish himself as an actor, and by starring in a number of movies where he proved he was bigger than Troy Bolton, he did exactly that. Take a look at the rest of Miles Teller’s speech below:
Despite Zac Efron’s movie career getting bigger due to his praised performance in the The Iron Claw, that doesn’t mean his memories of High School Musical have escaped him. In his Walk of Fame speech, The Greatest Showman actor revealed a confession that there's still one thing he does today that's related to his East High days. He said:
I still think about it every day. I sing the songs in the shower. Yeah, go wildcats!
I love how you can hear in the background a girl yelling, “Me too!” Even though it’s been almost 20 years since High School Musical debuted. Sadly when the original High School Musical cast reunited for the Disney Family Singalong via webcam, audiences weren’t happy that Efron didn’t sing with his former castmates. However, he had a legit reason for not partaking as the Baywatch star was in Papua New Guinea filming his new docu-series Killing Zac Efron, and he had limited wi-fi capabilities where he was. However, I’d like to believe the actor would take the opportunity to show off his singing chops again with his former HSM cast if his wi-fi was working better.
Overall the actor still has a lot of love for the musical trilogy, as he expressed a desire to return back to the Disney franchise because his heart is still there with it. But, I can imagine it being a while before Efron comes back as Troy Bolton due to the busy schedule ahead of him. He’ll be co-starring with Nicole Kidman and Kathy Bates in A Family Affair expected to be part of the Netflix movie schedule sometime in 2024. The 36-year-old actor will also be co-starring with John Cena in the upcoming fantasy-comedy film Ricky Stanicky, which will be available with an Amazon Prime subscription.
Zac Efron made an excellent choice in picking Miles Teller to deliver his introduction speech when receiving his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Teller’s hilarious speech may have roasted his friend’s High School Musical fame, but he and other HSM fans were able to appreciate the kind and funny words that were said.
You can watch Efron in the newest A24 movie The Iron Claw in theaters on December 22nd. If you’d like to relive your High School Musical days with the Wildcats basketball player, the musical film series is available with a Disney+ subscription.
