The Catalyst

By Bri Castellini, Web Editor

Say the name "Zac Efron", and you automatically associate him with basketball, dancing, and "High School Musical". But that's not what this rising star wants to be known for forever.

In his new movie, "17 Again", he plays the teenage version of Matthew Perry, who ends up undergoing an almost "Freaky Friday" transformation from man to teen. This is a slight step up from the widely popular "High School Musical", although he still plays the young basketball player.

Efron was born to an engineer and a secretary, and graduated from his real high school with a 4.3 GPA. This "pretty boy" is more than meets the eye.

Many actors understand what it's like to break away from their popular roles, like Anne Hathaway from The Princess Diaries, Liam Aiken from A Series Of Unfortunate Events, and Miley Cyrus of Hannah Montana (although at the moment it doesn't look like she wants to break away from that particular franchise just yet). Whatever happens in Efron's future in the spotlight, at least he' can always fall back on his Disney past.