What Actors Have Said About Kissing Zac Efron

Ever since he turned up as Troy Bolton, the floppy-haired teen torn between his twin loves of basketball and musical theater in "High School Musical" on the Disney Channel, Zac Efron has won the hearts of audiences with his good looks and charisma. Over the years, he's developed a surprisingly nuanced filmography, with appearances in projects as varied as high-octane musicals "Hairspray" and "The Greatest Showman," raunchy comedies like "Neighbors," and even the recent wrestling sobfest "The Iron Claw." Although he faced an uphill battle to be taken seriously as an actor after being cast in the Disney teen star mold, he's emerged as a legitimate performer in his own right.

But have his co-stars been as charmed by Efron as audiences? You can tell a lot about an actor by what the performers playing his romantic partners have to say about him, especially after they've been through a few on-screen kisses together. Read on to hear what his former cinematic paramours have said in interviews about what it was like to film kissing scenes with Efron over the years.

Ashley Tisdale made her name as an actress on the Disney Channel, first as the down-to-earth hotel employee Maddie on "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody," and later as the theatrical antagonist Sharpay Evans in the "High School Musical" franchise. Although she shared more scenes with Zac Efron in "High School Musical," the two never kissed during the series — they only locked lips when Efron had a 2006 one-episode appearance on "The Suite Life," the same year that "High School Musical" made him into an international teen heartthrob.

But Ashley Tisdale described their on-screen kiss as awkward, for a number of reasons. First of all, they were (and remain to this day) close friends, making the experience uncomfortable because she views him as more of a brother figure, as she said in an interview with Elle's "Thirst Trap." But also, his technique may not have been a perfect fit for the family-friendly show. "At the time, he was used to acting on like, Warner Brothers, which is CW, and we were on Disney Channel," Ashley explained. "And so ... he tried kissing me with his tongue, and I was like, get away from me. I closed my mouth so fast. I was like, 'this is Disney Channel, we don't kiss like that on Disney Channel.'"

In the big-screen adaptation of the frothy 1960s-era musical "Hairspray," Nikki Blonsky stars as Tracy Turnblad, a ball of energy who dreams of joining the "The Corny Collins Show" as a dancer. Her on-screen beau is Link Larkin (Zac Efron), the headliner of the teen dance program who finds himself susceptible to her effervescent charms. And Blonsky has fond memories of filming "Hairspray" with Efron — especially their romantic scenes. "Zac and I stood there for nine days. It was great. He is magic," she said of their time together shooting their on-screen kisses, in an interview with the "Women on Top" podcast (via US Weekly). "He is a very talented man, all in all. He's got it all, what can I say?"

She also shared what appears to be a recurring motif, which is Efron's use of tongue in otherwise PG-rated kisses. "He slipped [his tongue] on me! Adam Shankman, our director, called him on it ... He's like, 'This is PG, there is no tongue!'"

Zendaya: celebrity, fashion icon, and former co-star of Zac Efron. The two former Disney Channel stars crossed cinematic paths back in 2017, when they acted together in the maximalist circus musical "The Greatest Showman." In the Hugh Jackman-led film, Zac Efron played Phillip Carlyle, a young playwright who works alongside P.T. Barnum (Jackman) to drum up publicity for the fledging circus. He's immediately attracted to Anne Wheeler (Zendaya), a mesmerizing trapeze artist who is part of Barnum's act, and sparks begin to fly.

Off set, romance wasn't exactly in the air between Zendaya and Zac Efron. Still, Zendaya spoke positively about her experience working with Efron and the significance of the kiss their characters share in a red carpet interview at the premiere of "The Greatest Showman" (via Yahoo News). "It's not a normal kiss," she said, going on to explain, "These two characters have gone through so much and this kiss symbolises a lot more than just kissing someone. In the context of the movie, it's very brave and honestly dangerous. There's something special about it in that way."

"The Iron Claw" isn't so much about romance as it is about fraternal love (and sobbing your eyes out until there's just nothing left), but that doesn't mean that Zac Efron's character in it, real-life pro wrestler Kevin Von Erich, doesn't have a love interest. Lily James plays Pam Adkisson, who brings warmth and compassion into his life, making it OK for Kevin to be vulnerable after a lifetime of his father's toxic views of masculinity. 

On "Today with Hoda and Jenna," James discussed her experiences filming with Efron, particularly in their more personal moments on screen. "He's just the greatest," she said. "We got to have such intimate, sweet scenes where he's falling in love and he's kind of opening up to this whole other side of himself." She also went on to praise his efforts in "The Iron Claw," noting that he not only had to nail their quieter romantic scenes, but also transform himself into a professional wrestler and embrace the larger-than-life bravado that goes along with it.

Back in the mid-2000s, Zac Efron was coming off of a string of hits — but they were Disney hits, and he was eager to prove himself as an actor outside of the teen heartthrob bubble he had been ensconced in for years. In 2008, he took on a lead role in the period drama "Me and Orson Welles," playing an aspiring actor who — despite still being in high school and having no professional experience, mind you — is cast in Orson Welles' legendary Mercury Theatre production of "Julius Caesar" in 1930s New York City.

While working on the show, he becomes romantically involved with Orson Welles' production assistant, Sonja, played by Claire Danes. Was it difficult for her to act opposite the teen star who was then best known for his work on "High School Musical?" Apparently not — Danes spoke highly of her time with Efron, saying in a press conference for the film, "Being with Zac was amazing. I did a lot of mincing around the stage in this film, but the love scenes are really special, really tender. I was surprised by how easy it was to act with Zac and I was really delighted to discover how fine an actor he is." She also mentioned one area in which his "High School Musical" skills served him well in the film: his dancing. "He can move very, very well," she elaborated with a smile.