Zac Efron‘s The Lucky One have been one of this year’s biggest tearjerkers, but the actor admits anything he pulled up as research for his role of a U.S. Marine was more heart-wrenching than the Nicholas Sparks adaptation.
“The first thing we did was go to Camp Pendleton to hang out with some sergeants that were just about to be deployed,” he says, before letting out a sigh. “That was an eye-opener.”
He continues:
“I was blown away by these guys.”
Efron, 24, plays Logan Logan Thibault in the film, a soldier in Iraq who finds a photo of a woman which he believes to be his good luck charm throughout his time overseas. When he returns to the States, he discovers he has problems adjusting with home life and seeks to find woman who “helped” him survive his tour of duty.
“The more I thought about it an researched it, I realized that if I ever to have the chance to play a marine and to fill these shoes, that this is probably it,” says Efron he says of his role.
How else did he train for the part? Watch Celebuzz’s exclusive sneak peek of The Lucky One’s bonus DVD footage, above, to find out.
