Full disclosure: I'm a Zac Efron fan.
I've followed Zac's career since his early days on random TV shows and Lifetime movies, pop-locking in High School Musical and showing his range in Hairspray and Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile.
I even binge-watched him traversing the planet in his Netflix travel show Down to Earth with Zac Efron, which earned him an Emmy in 2021.
I'm even a fan of his comedies like Neighbors (I saw it twice in theaters) and Dirty Grandpa. The former teen idol really knows how to make us laugh.
But, lately, the conversation surrounding Zac is no laughing matter. In 2013, the 36-year-old actor slipped on a puddle of water at the entrance of his Los Angeles home and suffered a broken jaw. Earlier that year, he sought treatment for alcohol and substance abuse.
In 2019, Zac contracted a potentially life-threatening bacterial infection while filming his Quibi series Killing Zac Efron in Papua New Guinea. Needless to say, the 17 Again actor has certainly been through it.
Then, in April 2021, when he appeared in a viral video promoting Bill Nye's Earth Day Musical, everyone quickly commented on his appearance, speculating whether he had undergone cosmetic procedures. Eventually, Zac responded to the claims, detailing he was recovering from a severe injury.
In a Men's Health cover story, Zac shared how, in a year and a half, he tore his ACL, dislocated his shoulder, broke his wrist, threw out his back, and shattered his jaw. The injury to his jaw was so bad, he lost consciousness and woke to find his chin bone hanging from his face.
Zac went on to claim the changes in his face were due to recovery, physical therapy, and a temporary growth of the masseters (a muscle used for chewing that runs through the rear part of the cheek to the lower jaw). In an interview with with Entertainment Tonight, he said the incident was bad that he almost died.
Unfortunately, his response didn't stop fans from speculating that he secretly had cosmetic procedures on his face. For example, when I recently discussed his work in the new A24 movie The Iron Claw, the comments were filled with arguments over his jawline and face.
Now, some fans are defending him against the criticism. Here's what they're saying:
I'm biased, but no person deserves to have their appearance consistently ridiculed on the internet. For years, we always commented on Zac's appearance, mostly lusting over his physique, and now it's evolved into something dangerous. He addressed it already, so people should drop it.
Not too much on Troy Bolton unless you want to catch these jazz hands.