Zac Efron Was Surprised With a ‘High School Musical’ Tribute While Filming ‘The Iron Claw’

Zac Efron can’t seem to shake his High School Musical past, but he doesn’t seem to mind. During the actor’s Thursday (Dec. 21) appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, he and his co-stars from The Iron Claw reflected on a special tribute they did for Efron while filming.

Stanley Simons, who plays Mike Von Erich (Efron’s on-screen brother) in the movie, told Clarkson, “Yeah, I think it would be a disservice to anyone form my generation if I didn’t do something. I was playing music, I was fretting about a scene and the night before I learned the chords to “Breaking Free,” and I gave a little rendition in front of Zac.”

Efron took the tribute in good stride, telling the talk show host that the surprise “was well received.”

When Clarkson inquired if the 36-year-old ever gets tired of people mentioning his High School Musical days, he explained that the fondness people have for him and the movies “means the world.” He added, “It’s so fun. The other day in Hollywood [I got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and] there were so many Wildcat jerseys out. The fans are still out there in full force. It’s fun though because they used to be really young, and now there’s 40 year-old dudes. It’s awesome. I love it.”

Efron also shouted out the Wildcats during his Walk of Fame acceptance speech and revealed that the songs from the HSM movies are on his mind frequently. “I still think about it every day — I sing the songs in the shower,” he said while accepting his star, noting that “Breaking Free” and “We’re All in This Together” are his favorites.

Watch Efron and Simons talk about the “Breaking Free” High School Musical tribute in the video above.