Zac Efron was jealous of Leonardo DiCaprio's success before star advised him how to handle his own fame
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Many upcoming stars, like High School Musical graduate Zac Efron, look up to Leonardo DiCaprio. But Efron said that when he was younger, he had some jealousy for his hero. However, 48-year-old Leo is and is as well-liked as ever.
Recently, Leonardo was featured in the adapted from David Grann's 2017 novel, 'Killers of the Flower Moon', an upcoming American epic Western murder drama film that Martin Scorsese will direct and co-produce, and the film is set to be released on October 20.
During Leonardo DiCaprio's Titanic days, Efron had a similar famous experience as DiCaprio. Efron, like DiCaprio, rose to adolescent superstar status as a result of his appearances in the well-liked High School Musical movies. DiCaprio once jokingly said he was more than willing to hand over his role as a type of sex symbol to Efron at that time.
'Never wanted to be a sex symbol or all that stuff'
Leo once said, according to Ace Showbiz, "I look at young Zac Efron and think 'Go get it pal, leave me in peace, I was never happy with the teen idol tag at all – never wanted to be a sex symbol or all that stuff – it was the work that appealed to me. Really nothing else."
But DiCaprio has also personally counseled Efron with wise words. The Oscar winner gave the actor some straightforward but powerful advice. Efron once told GQ "I thought I was gonna ask him questions, He ended up asking me questions, and in that, he told me a lot. He said, 'There's one way that you can really f*** this all up. Just do heroin. If you steer clear of that—the other obstacles you'll be able to navigate.' And that makes sense, dude."
'I can tell you that fame is probably the most unadorable thing'
The success of 'High School Musical' paved the way for Zac Efron's acting career. However, it also gave Efron a certain amount of celebrity and attention that he found uncomfortable, like other famous people. Efron once told Fanbolt, "I can tell you that fame is probably the most unadorable thing about acting. High School Musical is what got me here today and I'm very grateful – but the fame part isn't so fun."
'It would really suck if you had the fame without the love'
That kind of prominence required him to draw paparazzi, be often photographed, and be the subject of rumors about famous people. Efron gave advice to other young actors based on his own experience to refrain from seeking celebrity merely for its own purpose. He said, "Don't do anything just to be famous. It would really suck if you had the fame without the love for what you do." Ironically, Efron used to be jealous of DiCaprio for how much attention the latter garnered.
'I mean, you couldn't help but hate this guy'
Efron once said, according to FemaleFirst, "Leo, for me, was the first time I ever recognized fame. I was in fifth grade when he was literally on every magazine cover for Titanic and all the girls had these Tigerbeat magazines and I'd say, 'Dude, what's so great about this kid?' I was jealous." He added, "I mean, you couldn't help but hate this guy. And now, to some degree, I've made it and I'm going through the same thing."