Back in the days when our little sister was obsessed with N'Sync and we reluctantly drove and accompanied her to a concert after we won her back stage passes from a radio call-in (because that's the kind of thing big sisters do) we never thought we'd ever get a boner for Justin Timberlake. Little did we know. But, still, every time we see him looking all sexy, and even professorial, we are amazed at what a transformation he made. As far as we were concerned, like his band mates, Timberlake was clearly on the road to douchebaggery—maybe even more so than the rest of them. He appeared short, innocent and maybe even a little effeminate. Now he records songs we work out and rock out to, and unlike the boy band member we loved to hate in the 90's we would not kick Justin Timberlake out of bed. Neither would his super-hot fiance Jessica Biel.
Why did Timberlake make it out while Joey Fatone is dancing with the stars and those other guys—whose names we don't even remember—are most likely making appearances at malls across middle America? And, if he can do it, can Zac Efron do it, too? Our old friend Sarah Hepola, along with Joy Press, over at Salon think with a little help from Gus Van Sant, and some erect model nipples here and there that maybe, just maybe, he can.
In this month's Interview magazine, the well-scrubbed 21-year-old star of "High School Musical" loosens the shackles of his pukka-shell necklace and undergoes a dirty-sexy makeover -- black-and-white photos feature him rolling in the mud with a naked model (Lithuanian Edita Vilkeviciute), her pert nipples visible, and looking like he is 15 years late to Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game" video shoot. The whole package is a self-conscious attempt to rescue Efron from the sea of Disney banality in which he has been dog-paddling for some time: The artsy cover ominously declares, "Zac Efron Is the Future." The interview is conducted by beloved indie director Gus Van Sant -- a man whose stamp of approval is so coveted by young Hollywood that it became a plotline in HBO's "Entourage" -- and the pair gab about vintage furniture and Efron's upcoming period film with Richard Linklater, "Me and Orson Welles." The repeated message here is that you won't have Zac Efron to sing your four-part harmonies anymore. On Tuesday came the announcement that Efron had pulled out of his starring role in the remake of "Footloose," a part that seemed to seal his fate as a song-and-dance plaything for tween America and the next logical step in his retread of vapid '80s teen idoldom. Ditching that part is possibly the most interesting thing Efron has done in his career -- which is, admittedly, a short list, including the time he told Elle magazine that his mom bought him an economy box of condoms....
I don't mean to suggest that by splattering mud on his face and pressing his pecs against a naked lady, Efron will suddenly morph into Johnny Depp. Depp displayed hints of his talent even in his earliest roles, whereas Efron's chops have yet to manifest. In fact, it's a bit squirm-inducing to hear about Efron's artistic aspirations, however fledgling and undefined they are. "I'm getting a list of great films on my iPhone," he told Gus Van Sant, "and every time somebody mentions one, I try to go out and watch it." (He just saw "Ordinary People." Verdict? "I was amazed.") His next film is "17 Again," a hokey-sounding age-inversion film in which he plays a 37-year-old stuck in the body of a teenager, which is not likely to land him on anyone's Oscar shortlist.
Nevertheless, there's something invigorating about a teen idol attempting to wriggle free of his constraints. It's a gamble for a star whose fame relies on the conflicted desires of the young girls (and boys) who adore him, in part, for his androgyny, because he is unthreatening, sweet and cuddly as a puppy. No matter how sexualized our culture becomes, the overwhelming success of "High School Musical" -- in fact, of every teen idol -- confirms that kids crave the soft-focus fantasy of romance and sexuality while keeping all the dirty, nasty stuff at arm's length. (Hello, Jonas Brothers.) Trying to transition into a more grown-up role is the sword on which so many beloved teen idols have fallen. But whether he can pull a Depp or a Timberlake, or whether he winds up as the next David Cassidy, forever plagued by the credibility that eluded him, Efron's career now has a quality it has lacked for so long: It has become unpredictable.
[Salon: Zac Efron and the twilight of the teen idol]
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