Back To High School

I was one very excited In Style party girl on Tuesday, as I was lucky enough to be able to meet one of my (not-so-secret) celebrity crushes – Zac Efron (scream!) at the premiere of High School Musical 3.

Such a momentous event required great preparation, so I went to the fabulous cosmetic paradise B Never to Busy to Be Beautiful on Oxford street - where I selected a chic new look from their ‘menu’, sat back and sipped on a cocktail (for some much needed Dutch courage!), and let the make-up artist work her magic.

But I was far from prepared for the High School Musical mania that greeted me as I arrived in Leicester Square. Trying to get anywhere near the entrance of the cinema was a mission in itself, as I had to fight my way through the hoards of hysterical kids and teens. When I finally managed to flash my press pass and get in, a delightful young girl screamed “I HATE YOU” at me as I walked past. Lovely.

Precocious kids started kicking and screaming in their attempt to get near their idols. The lucky few who had tickets to see the film crowded around the entrance of the cinema, and despite the best efforts of the security guards, stamped their feet and downright refused to go to their seats

The scream that erupted from the crowd when Zac Efron set foot on the carpet was unlike anything I had ever experienced before, and was quite frankly, terrifying. I don’t know if it was down to the electric atmosphere, and the mounting anticipation built up by the crowd, but by the time the actors came inside to the press area – I was a little star struck myself.

The incredibly charismatic Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale came over for a chat (honestly, people are not supposed to be that good looking in real life). Both young actresses seemed completely taken aback and somewhat intimidated by the chaos surrounding them.

“It wasn’t until I pulled up in the car that it suddenly hit me – this is kind of a big deal isn’t it?” Vanessa reflected wide-eyed, looking around her.

“This is amazing, the fans are wonderful!” gushed Ashley. “But this is something you never get used to.”

Finally a polite and apologetic Zac Efron made his way over to me. “Thanks for hanging in there” he smiled at me. OH MY GOD he smiled at me. That was it. I was hooked. I suddenly felt like all the other girls lining the carpet outside. “It was pretty crazy there for a second” he said. “The reception here has been insane.”

Zac - who is just as striking in real life as he is on screen (but slightly shorter than I expected) – told me how much he loves doing the international press tours. “They’re really exciting but overwhelming,” he said. “It’s kind of a huge reality check. It’s the only time we really get to interact with our fans.”

And then that was it. The stars were whisked off into the cinema to see the film, followed by the standard trail of excited fans. The thing is - as much as I hate to admit it - I’m definitely now one of them.

See the photos from the High School Musical 3 premiere here!