Inside Hugh Jackman And Zac Efron's Friendship
Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron have cemented themselves as a famous bromance in the Hollywood industry. As we have seen in similar cases — like Ben Affleck and Matt Damon and Tom Holland and Jake Gyllenhaal — Efron and Jackman have formed a close bond.
Jackman and Efron's relationship began during the filming of the movie "The Greatest Showman" (via Men's Health). The two hunks have had similar careers and have both worked in musicals before filming "The Greatest Showman," which helped them bond. Jackman shared his feelings about working with Efron with Entertainment Tonight, "It was so exciting to work with Zac. He's been in many musicals, but he hadn't done it for at least 10 years." The last musical Efron had worked on before "The Greatest Showman" was "Hairspray" in 2007 (via IMDb). Coming back to the world of musicals was thrilling for Efron, and Jackman took notice. Jackman shared, "He [Efron] was really excited, really determined to do something different to what he had done before."
The nice words for one another continued in 2022. When asked about a rumor about potentially taking over the role of Wolverine on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon," Efron had a great response. He explained, "They could have just called me. I think Hugh's still doing that pretty well. I got to give it to him." The two have yet to work on a project since "The Greatest Showman," but they continue to show nothing but love and respect for one another.
Zac Efron and Hugh Jackman have frequent hangouts
Zac Efron and Hugh Jackman's friendship did not stop on the set of "The Greatest Showman." The two have been spotted together on several occasions (via E! News). In 2016, the two took their love for musicals to Broadway. Hugh shared a photo of himself and Efron via Instagram attending a Broadway musical. He captioned the photo, "With @zacefron after watching the enormously talented cast of @waitressmusical if you get a chance — grab a ticket." The two were all smiles in the photo as they posed alongside some of the actors from the musical. The pair's friendship went beyond just the arts and into the world of sports. Hugh shared another photo of the two on Instagram, this time from the sidelines of a football field. He shared, "Thanks, @nyjets, for an awesome day and for letting three man-boys hang on your field." E! News reports the two hung out on the field and took selfies while watching the game.
Efron has also shared social media posts about his former co-star. In one photo Efron shared to Instagram, the two wore top hats. "Perfect fit. #thegreatestshowman," he captioned the post. For context, Efron and Jackman played best friends in "The Greatest Showman." Jackman's character, P.T. Barnum, showed Efron's character the ropes of the circus. It was a perfect fit, as they remain friends today.
Hugh Jackman saved Zac Efron from a burning building IRL
"The Greatest Showman" was filled with music, dancing, and fires. Spoiler alert: One of the scenes in the film features a fire in the circus tent (via MTV). While the fire was part of the script, it did get out of hand and resulted in Hugh Jackman saving Zac Efron's life.
In the scene, Efron had to be carried out by Jackman from a burning building. The "High School Musical" actor shared with MTV, "It started to get late, and some of the pyrotechnics got a little bit too hot. We burst out of the building. It looked great on camera. We didn't know it [at the time], but it was pretty insane." The actor shared that he watched back the footage and noticed how bad the flames were (via The Hollywood Reporter). Efron explained to MTV, "... He [Jackman] saved me from a burning building." Although actors can be dramatic about the stunts they film, Efron was not kidding. He revealed in the interview that the set completely burned down later that night.
Efron even joked about the experience to MTV "It was pretty awesome. Hugh Jackman saving you from a burning building? It's every girl's dream," he said. Jackman, who plays a superhero on-screen as Wolverine, can now say he is a superhero off-screen too — coming to the rescue of none other than his work BFF, Efron.