Oh to be 17 Again...

A pack of screaming girls in Leicester Square… A red carpet lined with almost entirely female reporters… The odd High School Musical poster floating around… It could only mean one thing. Zac Efron was back in town.

The Hollywood star who has captured the hearts of girls world-wide was in London for 24 hours only to promote his latest cinematic offering, 17 Again. As a self-confessed fan of the mighty Efron (I’m ashamed to admit I practically hyperventilated with excitement at the High School Musical 3 Premiere) I hotfooted it down to the Odeon to get myself a prime spot carpet-side for my latest dose of Zac action.  

As chants of “We Want Zac,” filled the air, (which thankfully, I didn’t feel the urge to join in) a few of his more familiar looking fans filed down the red carpet and into the cinema – an excitable troupe of soap stars, reality TV contestents and teen film faces, all eager to see the film and its 21-year-old leading man.

And then there it was, that ear-splitting scream that signalled his arrival. Dressed in a sharp grey suit and skinny black tie, the actor stepped out of his car looking decidedly taken-aback by the sheer volume of shouts from the crowd.

By the time he made his way inside to meet the rest of the press, he seemed a tad relieved, and smiled at me wearily. Oh yes. He smiled… at ME. Then he spoke. (That was even more exciting.)

“That was crazy,” he said shaking his head. “It’s got to be the biggest crowd yet. I heard some of those girls have been waiting there for hours.”

I wanted to know how on earth that must feel, knowing that all those fans were standing out there just for a glimpse of him.

“It’s great!” he exclaimed. “I’m happy for the support. I just want to show them all a good time, and you know… I just hope I don’t disappoint them.”

“You know, I don’t think that would be possible,” I replied. (Smooth or what?!)

He chatted some more about the film, High School Musical and his future plans, but I wasn’t really listening, I was just staring. He really is impossibly pretty, and every bit as charming as you’d expect. Sigh.

Then with a “See you around” he was gone. What did he say? Did my ears deceive me?! I picked my jaw up off the floor and made my way home with a big fat grin on my face. Not a bad way to spend a Thursday evening eh?