Zac Efron: Rumer Willis Doing ‘Fine’ After Demi’s Hospitalization; Talks Playing A Pre-Teen In ‘The Lorax’

Zac Efron says he’s spoken to pal Rumer Willis, following the recent news that the actress’ mom was seeking treatment for her health and exhaustion.

“I have, yes,” Zac told Access Hollywood Live’s Kit Hoover at the junket for “Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax” in Los Angeles on Monday, when asked if he’d spoke to Demi’s daughter.

“She’s doing OK, she’s doing fine. It’s tough what she’s going through right now, but she seems to be handling it really well,” he added of his friend Rumer.

On Monday, Zac was in good spirits as he promoted his March 2-due animated feature film, “Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax,” where he stars as the voice of 12-year-old Ted.

But he told Kit it wasn’t easy to slip into character.

The actor had wrapped up his role as marine Logan Thibault in the April 20-due “The Lucky One,” when he was brought on to play Ted, a young man who sets out to win the heart of Audrey (voiced by Taylor Swift), the girl of his dreams, by finding a tree, and in turn, discovering the story of the Lorax.

“I had just finished filming ‘[The] Lucky One,’ I was 15 pounds heavier,” Zac told Kit. “Then I had to come in and do these voices and he was 12.”

Zac’s cure for his adult voice was a healthy drink and hard work.

“I was – early in the morning – drinking green tea, trying to get my voice up high – as high as humanly possible,” he smiled.

The star said he actually took inspiration from another actor in trying to get the voice just right.

“He’s a real spontaneous, fun loving guy, but I sort of pictured him like Michael J. Fox,” Zac explained. “He’s really high energy.”

Ted has his heart set on Audrey and Zac said his character’s journey in the film brought back nice memories from his own past.

“You’re still figuring out what love is at that age, but it’s best time in the world,” Zac reminisced. “Watching him, you know, try and find this tree for the love of his life, it’s very romantic. It’s a noble journey he’s on.”

“Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax” hits theaters on March 2.

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