How Zac Efron Became the Cutest Guy Ever

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In Hairspray, he became that, partially because of the good-student, athlete competitiveness he brings to acting. "I made him jump on the bed and make out with this photograph. I mean really make out," says Hairspray director Adam Shankman. "He would just do it--but do it with such a level of total abandonment and commitment. The only people who I see that from are really genuinely good actors. He was always asking for more takes. Never satisfied."

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But the competitiveness does not come across as aggressive. "He radiates this sense of attainability--as if anyone who meets him can be his friend," says Gary March, the entertainment president of the Disney Channel. "That's not something you learn in acting class. That's something you're born with." High School Musical co-star Monique Coleman says, "He also has a way of wooing the women by including them. By making every single girl feel like they could be his girlfriend."

If that's true, if Efron really has gone through life as the good-looking theater geek who's also good at sports and with girls and who has mastered humility as a counterattack against schadenfreude, then maybe he can work this charm thing into a career. And, if not, he can join a weird religion, drive drunk or leave his wife for another woman. You know, the things adults do to hang on to fame.