Why You Never Hear About Zac Efron's Younger Brother
Zac Efron has a family secret.
While we imagine you're all caught up on the most pertinent Zac Facts — that his last name means "lark" in Hebrew, that he was once allegedly attacked by transients during a late-night sushi run, that his "butt double" encountered some legal trouble in 2017 — there's something you might not know: The Neighbors star has an equally handsome, albeit lesser known, younger brother. If you're not already on a first-name basis with Dylan Efron, it's high time you fix that.
What, if anything, do you know about this stubbly, often Speedo-clad celebrity sibling? Since he's not a megawatt movie star prone to headlining Baywatch reboots and buying the occasional Hollywood Hills mansion for $3.995 million, facts on Dylan are relatively sparse when compared to his older brother. We know he's four years younger than Zac and, of course, also a California native. But while he's not habitually chased by paparazzi, Dylan has plenty of things going on in his own right — and they extend well beyond his abdominal muscles. (Yes, he has those, too.)
The accomplished triathlete, skier, burgeoning economist, and entrepreneur is certainly worth getting to know, even if it's by one drool-inducing Instagram snap at a time. So let's get acquainted with this mystery man stat, and take an intimate (but never creepy) look at Zac Efron's enigmatic young brother, Dylan.
He keeps it low-pro at Zac's house
Zac Efron's sprawling 5,6444-square foot home features a breathtaking outdoor pool, a well-appointed gym, a chef's kitchen, a spa that comes complete with frothy waterfall, and a little brother named Dylan. In fact, both Efrons were reportedly shacking up in Zac's manse as recently as 2017. What's more, the Greatest Showman Star claims Dylan is a pretty great roommate, too. During an appearance on The Jimmy Kimmel Show, Zac only had positive things to say about Dylan as a roomie, despite Kimmel's rather aggressive attempt to dig up dirt. (After all, a good roommate doesn't necessarily make for riveting television.)
Well, Dylan's a good roommate "most of the time," Zac reveals. "He's my little brother, you know? He looks after the house when I'm gone." With hope and a little hunger in his eyes, Kimmel asks whether any Risky Business ever goes on in his absence. Sadly for us, there have apparently been no key parties — not even the obligatory out-of-control rager.
"I trust him, he's a good dude," Zac adds, perhaps slightly wearying of the subject. The closest we get to any sort of juicy gossip: Whenever Zac is about to get back into town, Dylan makes sure the whole property is meticulously scrubbed down. Upon getting home, Zac says it's usually "very clear the cleaning lady had been there just minutes before I [arrive]." And that's about that.
He could've at least made up a kegger or something.
You may have missed his ridic commercial
In 2017, Zac and Dylan starred in a potently kooky commercial for Columbia Sportswear. The setup finds both brothers in the midst of a high-stakes job interview, being dutifully grilled by a lecherous old woman named Gert Boyle (who happens to be the company's chairwoman in real life). In the hopes of winning her over, Dylan throws Gert a few fascinating slices of autobiography. For one, he's highly involved in endurance sports. In fact, he's already completed two Ironman triathlons in his relatively short lifespan. Oh, and he qualified for (and subsequently ran in) the Boston Marathon in 2018.
He also claims he loves cougars, and we don't mean the big cats. He's clearly joking, though. Or is he...? (Wink.)
It's a clever spot, and a fairly decent crash course on all things Dylan. Another ad from the same campaign chronicles the brothers' outdoorsy adventures as they hike the slopes of the Continental Divide, intrepidly conquer the shores of Lake McDonald, explore the frigid wilderness of Glacier National Park, and hypnotize everyone with their blazing athleticism. Naturally, both brothers immediately lose their shirts upon arriving at Lake McDonald. Dylan listens studiously as Zac balefully philosophizes: "We both get kind of cooped up in our lives... [but] anyone can get out here. Anyone can do this."
But can anyone be Zac Efron's equally handsome and intriguing younger brother? We have our doubts.
Some of his best work is on Instagram
If Dylan Efron doesn't look familiar, you probably aren't wasting enough of your life on Instagram. Zac's brother is as active on the social media channel as on the shores of Lake McDonald. In fact, his Instagram page is probably the best way to keep track of his various comings and goings, although he doesn't post half as often as Zac. Only on Instagram can you linger fondly over photos of Dylan playing volleyball on Manhattan Beach, or witness him decompress in a bracing ice bath after the SeaWheeze Half Marathon, or admire him confidently posing by a pool in an Olympic Training Center wearing revealing swim briefs.
Want to see Dylan snuggling with a homeless puppy? No problem. Perhaps you'd prefer reading a few of his inspirational quotes geared towards the athletically inclined (i.e., "Keep pushing to stay active. Take as much as your body will give you.") If you'd like to witness the grand unveiling of a freshly shorn version of Dylan, you know exactly where to go. ("Nooooo!" wrote devastated followers, of which he has roughly 363,000 as of this writing.)
Oh, and here's Dylan wearing another pair of revealing swim briefs, if that's what you came for.
He's often mistaken for Kit Harington
"Kit Harington, is that you?"
While ogling Dylan Efron's Instagram account, some superfan commenter felt inclined to pursue this line of questioning, and it's easy to see why. Dylan piqued a great deal of interest by posting a photo that captures him catching a few rays on a sailboat. Just one look confirms it — there is indeed a scraggly, bearded resemblance to the perpetually smoldering Game of Thrones star.
The media was fast to pounce on this savory news nugget, with the Mirror compelled to write an impressively arduous headline: "Zac Efron's ridiculously hot brother Dylan sets pulses racing — and he looks just like Kit Harington." Once word got out, thousands of Instagram creepers were suddenly leering over the image of the tousled triathlete. The comments section went into overdrive, although nobody really says anything particularly illuminating: "Boii I thought that was Jon Snow," one fan reveals, while another admirer says, "I had to double take kc I thought this was Kit Harington."
Meanwhile, other fans simply couldn't wrap their heads around Dylan's resemblance to another Efron: "You look like your older brother Zac," observed one fan. "Dylan u r Gorgeous like Zac," blurted another.
'Nuff said.
He's the shy, poetic type
As early as sixth grade, Dylan demonstrated an innate knack for the arts. That's when he sat down and penned an admirably passive-aggressive poem about his older brother. Entitled "A Brotherly Thing," it's an unflinching work, originally scrawled into a notebook that was subsequently tucked away and discovered many years later by his father. To ensure the poem didn't languish in obscurity, Zac encouragingly posted the piece to Instagram on May 22, 2015, thus premiering the canonical work to the world at large. Dylan must've been thrilled.
Dylan seizes the reader's attention from the very first stanza, and he refuses to relent: "My brother is a movie star / And is only sixteen. / He doesn't have a job yet / Still, he thinks he is the queen."
Though "A Brotherly Thing" starts on a sour note, the tone brightens considerably once Dylan starts detailing some of Zac's more admirable qualities. For example, he's always generous with advice and consistently supports his younger brother during sporting events. Plus, he's always more than happy to help with homework.
But can this budding wordsmith stick the landing? The poem concludes: "If there's any hatred going on / it is a brotherly thing. / If we fight no one gets hurt. / Brothers have to fight, I think."
Well... it doesn't have to rhyme to ring true.
He's always training
For most of us, competing in the 2018 Boston Marathon would be a peak experience — particularly if a giddy Zac Efron was waiting at the finish line. For Dylan, this sort of tableaux is just business as usual. Despite weather that was, by Dylan's own account, "cold, windy, rainy", his actor brother still showed up with his million-dollar mug, parking himself by the finish line on Boylston Street to support his Dylan. There Zac stood, no doubt getting rain on his smartphone as he live-Tweeted "THAT'S MY BRO!". Dylan ended the race with an enviable finish gun time of 3:00:55. Shortly after catching his breath, the younger Efron wrote his own Instagram post, thanking Zac for his support, which he says is all he needed to soldier through.
Glowing with pride, Zac felt inclined to write Dylan a sentimental caption as he posted more footage to Instagram: "'What's the point of all the finish lines we cross in life if there's no one there to celebrate with?' This used to get me down when I felt alone. There's many reasons. ... Ima be at every [race] with you from here until forever, Brother."
Honestly though, what's the point of crossing any finish line if Zac Efron isn't waiting on the other side?
He works his magic behind the scenes
Let Zac star in Bad Grandpa. Dylan has bigger fish to fry. Though he might not be splashed on the cover of every tabloid, Dylan's certainly no stranger to the world of showbiz. While Zac dutifully tears through obstacle courses and (sort of) makes out with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson for our theoretical viewing pleasure, Dylan seems to actively shy away from the limelight, preferring to call the shots behind the scenes. Nevertheless, it's quite clear entertainment is in his blood...
So far, the youngest Efron brother has worked on several projects as assistant to producer Ravi D. Mehta, who most recently was one of two executive producers on the remake of A Star Is Born starring Lady Gaga, Robert De Niro, and Bradley Cooper (who also directed).
Dylan has also lent his hand to big budget fare like the 2015 Will Ferrell comedy Get Hard, the raunchy (and truly unnecessary) 2017 cinematic resurrection of CHiPS, and the not-particularly memorable 2017 thriller Unforgettable starring Katherine Heigl and Rosario Dawson. It's unclear whether Dylan was just moonlighting, or if he hopes to produce his own Hollywood productions once he's conquered the world of athletics.
We wouldn't put it past him.
He's lost in the crowd at Lakers games (with Zac)
Much to the paparazzi's delight, Zac Efron has attended innumerable Lakers games over the years. In fact, it's not unusual for the Seventeen Again star to be accompanied by equally A-list guests (and even the occasional sobriety chip). In November 2008, Zac cheered alongside Leonardo DiCaprio as the Lakers trounced the Denver Nuggets 104-97. In fact, during the game, DiCaprio apparently felt inclined to give Efron some especially gritty career advice, telling the young star to steer clear of smack, according to GQ (via People).
While Dylan and Zac have never served up gossip as click-worthy as that, they've definitely been spotted at Lakers games over the years, sitting courtside and occasionally jumping up and down to rah-rah their hearts out. On April 20, 2011, the brothers were snapped at the Hornets vs. Lakers game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, and a good time was evidently had by all.
No, the story didn't get quite as much traction as, say, the time Zac was seen with then-girlfriend Sami Miró at a 2014 Lakers Game, or even when he brought along his Neighbors costar Halston Sage.
We strongly suspect Dylan is okay with that.
He often hides behind ski masks and swim goggles
One surefire way to hide in plain sight: Consistently swaddle yourself in sports gear. The prodigiously athletic younger Efron brother apparently spends more time in ski masks and swim goggles than not. In fact, he's reputedly "the best skier in the family." That's coming from an Instagram post from January 2017, in which Dylan poses poolside with his then-89-year-old granddad, thus winning the Internet's bitter heart.
Whether he's out with fellow skiers finding his lines or cat skiing at the Island Lake Lodge in Fernie, British Columbia, Dylan is hitting the slopes whenever (and wherever) he can. Truth be told, the guy's got such a soft spot for snow, he happily celebrates his birthday on frigid mountain terrain, all while looking like an especially handsome Patagonia ad. Then, to top it off, he embarks on even more snowy adventures at California's Mammoth Mountain.
Skiing isn't the half of it. Dylan not only swims, he hikes. And he trains sans shirt, because he knows what Instagram was made for. In 2016, he participated in the IRONMAN Arizona and the IRONMAN Wisconsin, ranking 2nd in his age group during the Arizona event. To emphasize what an accomplishment this is: participating in an IRONMAN triathlon involves swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 miles, and running a marathon (26.2 miles).
Of course, Zac was there to show his support, gushing about his brother again on Facebook and Twitter. And who wouldn't? Dylan Efron is a friggin' beast.
He usually has his head in books
Dylan makes it hard for the haters. Beyond the glistening musculature and athletic prowess, he's got a highly functioning brain, too. In 2013, the triathlete graduated from California State Polytechnic University with a degree in economics. His senior project clearly earned the respect of his professors. Hailed as "Outstanding" by faculty, the paper was prominently displayed on the university's website like a trophy until recently. Unfortunately, it looks like some erudite party pooper decided to take the paper down, no doubt causing the university website to take quite a plunge, traffic-wise.
But we have good news. With a little bit of digging, we managed to unearth an unexpurgated copy of the entire 31-page essay on the dark web. It's entitled "Examining The California Film and Television Tax Credit Program: The subsidization of California's Signature Industry", and it might just be the breezy beach read you've been waiting for. It's at least something to puzzle over once you've exhausted his short supply of Instagram snaps.
No spoilers, but it'd be wrong not to give a taste of the pleasures that await: "My null hypothesis is that total production hires for a small-budget film is, on average, the same as a big budget production."
We expect a full report on our desks by noon tomorrow. Enjoy!
He's busy calling the shots in Zac's love life
Dating the likes of Vanessa Hudgens, Michelle Rodriguez, and designer Sami Miró is bound to have its complications. Whenever negotiating the various pitfalls, triumphs, and misfortunes of his robust romantic life, Zac Efron has no qualms about hitting up his brother for advice. "If I'm dating someone, one of the few people I need to weigh in on the situation is my brother," he told Cosmopolitan in 2017. "We're different in a lot of ways, but he's really grounded."
And why is Dylan his go-to guy when it comes to matters of the heart? Mainly because Dylan's life has been comparatively down to earth, so keeping it real comes naturally. "He lived a more normal life than I did growing up," Zac says, "so he's a great barometer to me."
Sounds like he's well-versed in the annals of armchair psychology, too. When Zac is floundering his way through one romantic entanglement or another, Dylan will "be like, 'Are you sure you're happy? Is this what you really want'?" Zac might even be a little lost in love without his younger brother's wisdom. "Having my little brother around is a really great thing," he says.
Roommate extraordinaire. Romantic expert. Athletic wizard. Entrepreneurial wunderkind. Seriously, is there anything the equally handsome, superiorly athletic, and not-quite-as-famous brother of Zac Efron can't do?