Mass hysteria for teen idol

HOARDS of shrieking teens lined the red carpet at Crown Casino to catch a glimpse of High School Musical heartthrob Zac Efron, who was in Melbourne for the premiere of his new romantic drama The Lucky One.

Sporting a simple suit-and-tie ensemble with his now-trademark coiffed hairdo, Efron got a rock-star reception from the adoring crowd, populated mainly by gushing, giddy, autograph-hunting teenage girls.

“I think we made a great film; I’m very proud of it,” Efron told The AJN from the red carpet last week.

The Lucky One follows US Marine Sergeant Logan (Efron), who returns home after three tours of Iraq, to track down a woman he has only ever seen in a photo. After surviving countless life-threatening encounters while serving overseas, Logan credits the photo with keeping him alive and vows to find the woman in it.

It’s a far cry from the all-singing, all-dancing teen musical arena, but Efron says his move into more dramatic roles has been a rewarding progression.

“I’m growing up; this role is a lot more mature than the roles I’ve played in the past and I’m very proud of it,” Efron said.

“That’s what I’m looking for, roles that are going to challenge me.”

The screenplay for The Lucky One is an adaptation of a novel from the famously romantic pen of Nicholas Sparks, author of Dear John, The Notebook and A Walk to Remember, which are among seven Sparks-inspired films.

A raft of Australian celebrities were enlisted to glitz up the red carpet, including the star of ABC television series Dance Academy and former Mount Scopus Memorial College student Dena Kaplan.

There were plenty of diehard Dance fans on hand, and they made their voices heard as Kaplan floated elegantly down the red carpet.

The former dancer turned actress said Efron has been something of a role model.

“I think he’s had an incredible career and he’s started at the same place as me, being a dancer and ­performer in High School Musical, and now he’s doing a really great project, so I do look up to him,” she told The AJN.

TIMNA JACKS