Zac Efron’s Best Performances: ‘High School Musical,’ ‘Hairspray,’ ‘The Iron Claw,’ and More

There are many actors whose public image will forever be defined by one iconic role. Al Pacino and Michael Corleone. Daniel Radcliffe and Harry Potter. Zac Efron and Troy Bolton.

To millions of millennials and zoomers, Zachary David Alexander Efron will forever be associated with his role as Troy in Disney’s “High School Musical” trilogy of TV films. A cultural phenomenon that remains a beloved nostalgic favorite today, the franchise made Efron a teen idol at 18, and “The Iron Claw” star’s performance as romantic lead Troy forever defined his public image moving forward: an impossibly earnest sweetheart jock, the type of high school heartthrob that could only exist in a Disney version of reality.

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A straight to TV movie musical for tweens isn’t the most prestigious way to begin your career, but Efron, for his part, has mostly spoken fondly about the experience in the years since. And it can’t be denied, watching it again now, how the films, and that intense Kenny Ortega choreography, helped Efron grow as an artist immensely. In the first film, he infamously had his vocals dubbed over by Drew Seeley; now, he’s a welcome presence in any movie musical he chooses to be in, bringing the right mixture of sincerity and self-awareness that the genre requires. More generally, the earnest likability and comedic timing he honed in “High School Musical” makes him a great comedic actor, and he’s put his chops to use in films like “17 Again” and “Neighbors.” He can’t save something like “Baywatch,” but really, who could?

In recent years, Efron has only continued to demonstrate that he’s a much more adept actor than his “High School Musical” roots might suggest to the more snobbish among us. In flawed films like “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” and “The Greatest Beer Run Ever,” he’s proven he can use his film image as a simple-minded hunk to effective dramatic ends. Recently, Efron achieved something he otherwise never managed over the course of his career: honest to god Oscar buzz, for his role in “The Iron Claw”  as Kevin Von Erich, the only surviving son of a professional wrestling family. Once again, Efron is a sweetly innocent athlete, but this time his story is much less sunny than Troy’s high school musical, and the movie calls upon him to explore devastating grief and sadness. It’s a potentially career-redefining role in how it expands Efron’s capabilities, and watching what he’ll do next is sure to be extremely exciting.

With “The Iron Claw” out in theaters now, IndieWire decided to get our heads in the game and determine which Zac Efron performances bop to the top. Films are ranked based on Efron’s performance, rather than their overall quality, and we ultimately had to avoid sticking to the status quo and instead tried going our own way with this ranking. Here are Zac Efron’s 10 Best Movie Performances. Be assured that Efron kills it in every single one. You can bet on it.

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