Hollywood hottie Zac Efron is best known for his killer abs, his high-profile romance with Vanessa Hudgens and his sugary-sweet role in the “High School Musical” films. Since graduating from the Disney franchise, he’s been eager prove his talent as more than just a teen star – but the actor promises to take his devoted fans along for the ride.

“I would never want to do anything to alienate or betray these fans that have been so great,” Efron tells iVillage exclusively. “I want to stay a little bit ahead of the audience, experience life and make movies about those experiences. When they catch up to that age and gain perspective on life and realize that not everything is like ‘High School Musical,’ there’ll be a movie there to help them through that next stage of their lives.”

In his new drama “Charlie St. Cloud” (which hits theatres July 30), Efron, 22, plays a young man dealing with the death of his younger brother – a serious departure from the happy-go-lucky HSM films. To get into character, the actor says he thought about his own little brother, Dylan.

“I pictured what life would be like without him, and that was more than enough to get to that place,” he says. “You just have to have something real to think about, that you can relate to.”

Watch our exclusive video interview to find out from Efron what his 12-year-old costar thinks of his crazy fans, and why he’s trying to enjoy the female attention as much as possible. [Source]