Zac Explains Why He Dropped Out of Footloose

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Zac Efron has been getting a lot of heat since dropping out of the Footloose remake. It’s led people to think all the fame has already gone to his head. But Zac is defending his recent decision and has spoken up about his future plans.

Zac tells Entertainment Weekly he didn’t want to be known as “musical guy.” He says, "I'm sure Footloose would have been a huge challenge…but the actors that I love and the actors that work really hard in this industry are always shaking things up, trying new genres, acquiring new skill sets. That's what's always going to appeal to me: the unknown."

He went on to say that those aforementioned people he looks up to are Leonardo DiCaprio , Johnny Depp, and Michael J. Fox. Sounds a little bit like he’s counting his chickens before they hatch.

But Zac does have another film in the works. He’ll be starring in the Death & Life of Charlie St. Cloud, which is being directed by the same person who did 17 Again. Zac will play a young man who takes a job as a cemetery caretaker where his younger brother has recently been buried. He has weekly meetings with his deceased sibling and begins a romantic relationship with a young woman believed to be missing in a sailing accident. He's not sure if she is real or an apparition.

Do you think it was smart for Zac to drop out of Footloose, or is he too new to the game to be reneging on deals?