What Really Happened Between Michelle Rodriguez And Zac Efron?

The year was 2014. A CCTV footage of Solange Knowles and Jay-Z getting physical inside an elevator had taken the world by storm. Kanye "Ye" West and Kim Kardashian wed in a lavish ceremony in Italy and became known as the iconic duo "KimYe." Meanwhile, Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow announced they were separating after 10 years of marriage (or, as they put it, "consciously uncoupling"). Oh — and Michelle Rodriguez and Zac Efron were apparently the hottest new celebrity couple.

Rodriguez and Efron will go down in history as one of Hollywood's most unlikely and perhaps strangest pairings. The two first sparked romance rumors in July 2014, after being spotted packing on the PDA while on holiday in Sardinia, Italy. Weeks later, the "Baywatch" actor was caught leaving Rodriguez's Venice Beach home after a night out with their friends in Los Angeles. While it's unclear how they met, a report from Refinery29 suggests it was Italian entrepreneur Gianluca Vacchi who introduced the two to each other. A source told Us Weekly that the actors had "great chemistry" despite their significant age gap of almost 10 years. "They have a lot to talk about, a lot in common," the insider said.

But then, things were over between the rumored pair just as quickly as they started. In August 2014, it was confirmed that Rodriguez and Efron had called it quits just after less than two months of dating. What happened? Turns out they weren't in it for the long haul right from the beginning... 

Despite getting hot and heavy over the summer, sources who spoke to E! News after their split said that Michelle Rodriguez and Zac Efron were "never that serious." In fact, "No one ever really thought of them as together," according to an insider, who described their relationship as more of a casual summer fling. But while this may be true, other sources at Us Weekly claimed that Efron caught feelings for Rodriguez and wanted to get back with her. "Michelle is going to do her own thing. Zac knew this about her when he got with her," dished one insider. "He's very into her though, and perhaps more than she's into him... Zac still wants to be with her."

As to what may have caused their split, one source claimed that the two had a huge fight while on vacation in Ibiza (where they were caught partying and making out inside a nightclub just a few weeks prior.). Meanwhile, it was also said that Rodriguez's ex-lover, Cara Delevigne, could be another reason for their falling-out. The "Fast & Furious" star and the British model dated briefly in 2014 before the former ever got involved with Efron. "Cara was always being mentioned," a third source told E! News. "It was just a lot. It was always, 'Cara, Cara, Cara.'" 

However, it appears as though that the decision to end their summer fling was Michelle Rodriguez's alone. Speaking to Interview magazine about her rocky love life and remaining childless in her 40s, the actor admitted that she's always been terrible at keeping relationships. "I have absolutely nothing consistent in my life," she confessed. "I'm a lone wolf. I run by myself on most things." She added, "I've got lots of really great friends, but the thought of being in a long-lasting relationship? Psh, I couldn't last more than six months with somebody, let alone have a father figure around for a kid."

Following her short-lived romance with Zac Efron, Rodriguez has notably kept her dating life a little more under the radar and has not been romantically linked to anyone else since. As for the "High School Musical" alum, he went on to date a slew of famous women, from model Sami Miro to "Baywatch" co-star Alexandra Daddario to Swedish actor Rebecca Ferguson. His most recent relationship was with model Vanessa Valladares in 2020. They reportedly split in 2021 after 10 months of dating.