Teen heartthrob Zac Efron is becoming a bona fide movie star. The 22-year-old actor, who crooned his way into our collective consciousness via Disney’s “High School Musical” and the big-screen musical remake of “Hairspray,” is starring in a new drama with an award-winning cast and a sexy onscreen love interest. “Charlie St. Cloud,” in theaters nationwide July 30, follows a small-town achiever (Efron, in the title role) who gives up big dreams after a tragic accident kills his younger brother. The jury’s still out on whether nuanced turns by Efron and co-stars Kim Basinger and Ray Liotta will win critical praise – or if “Charlie St. Cloud,” adapted from Ben Sherwood’s popular novel, employs too many schmaltzy emotional hooks. But one thing is certain: Efron lights up the screen.

When Efron came to town a few weeks ago to throw some baseballs with Atlanta Braves pitching coach Roger McDowell and the Dan Perez campers at Murphey Candler Park, he sat down in the field house to talk about the film, what’s playing on his iPod, and how his love life’s going.

“Charlie St. Cloud” is being described as a cross between “The Sixth Sense” and “Field of Dreams.” Was it tough to play an intense dramatic role like this one?
Zac: [Playing Charlie] was the fun part – getting in there and imagining that. It was a different vibe on set. Hopefully [audiences] will have an emotional reaction and walk away thinking. [The film is] uplifting at the end. It doesn’t end on a sad note. It’s a journey you have to go through to experience it.

What was it like to film the underwater scenes?
Zac: You think, “Oh, it’s just a movie,” but it’s actually very real. We had a 20-feet-deep tank with a boat flipped upside down, submerged. I was free diving from air tank to air tank. You couldn’t come up for air at the end of a take. Some of the takes were like a minute and a half long. You’re so out of breath, you’re still 20 feet under water and then somebody hands you a respirator. No goggles. It was a week of underwater filming in a pool with chlorine. My eyes were swollen. But it was so much fun at the same time.

You and co-star Amanda Crew ["Final Destination 3"] have some real chemistry.
Zac: It wasn’t hard. Doing this was different and new for both of us. We committed and rehearsed a lot. Being on that journey together and having somebody on this wild ride is really important. We definitely connected.

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