Zac Efron On Fame, The Paparazzi & Those Gay Rumors

Playing the handsome jock-turned-singing-sensation, Troy Bolton, in the “High School Musical” film series, helped make Zac Efron famous, but not all the perks of fame are simply sweet for the star.

In the February issue of Details, the 20-year-old tells the magazine that the paparazzi attention he gets — snappers following him to the gym or on dates with his girlfriend (and “HSM” co-star Vanessa Hudgens) has been tough to deal with.

“They use espionage tactics, and they’re malicious and relentless. Anything to get a reaction. Anything to get that frown, or a scream into the camera, or some kind of backlash,” the 5’10” actor tells Details. “They’ve got that photo where all of a sudden, you know, Zac’s frowning – now he’s on crack! They shout things about your mom, about your family. It’s a weird industry that I’m still getting used to. But sometimes it just takes all your might not to literally swing at these guys.”

The star of “Hairspray” said he works hard to make sure that despite the taunting, he doesn’t break down in front of snappers.

“These days everyone is just waiting for me to f*** up,” he said. “ I’m not gonna give anyone the satisfaction of that.”

Efron doesn’t break down at rumors about his sexuality that run rampant on internet blogs either.

“Honestly if the worst they can say about me is that I’m gay, then I think I’ll be fine. I can handle it,” he said.

One of the reasons Efron seems to be handling things so well — he thinks of himself as a regular guy.

“It’s weird but I don’t feel like I deserve any of the attention,” he said. There’s really nothing but one audition for a Disney Channel movie that separates me from 2,000 other brown-haired blue-eyed guys in LA, you know?

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