Zac Efron got slapped "about 50 times" on his new movie.
I'll take every opportunity I can to stretch and to try new things and to grow as an actor and improve, that's what I'm looking for right now.
The '17 Again' star admits he thought scenes where his character is hit in the face several times would be "faked" and admits the effects of the violence were clearly visible at the end of filming.
He said: "Honestly, I thought there was a way to 'fake slap'. I was like, 'What's gonna happen? Do they make a slap sound and I just move my head really quick?'
"But there's no way - my co-star Tom Lennon came up to me and just told me, 'Sorry dude, we're just gonna go for it'. And I'm like, 'Well, of course you say that, you're on the easy end'.
"And then cut to fifty slaps later... you could see it in the movie, my face is bright red."
Despite the painful incident, 'High School Musical' actor Zac - who recently pulled out of a planned 'Footloose' remake - loved the movie and admits it has whetted his appetite to take a break from the musicals which propelled him to stardom.
The 'Hairspray' star added: "I had so much fun doing '17 Again' and I would love to do some non-musicals.
"I'll take every opportunity I can to stretch and to try new things and to grow as an actor and improve, that's what I'm looking for right now."
