After guest starring in several episodes of "Summerland," 17-year-old
Zac Efron joins the cast this season as girl-crazy Cameron Bale.

Born in San Luis Obispo, California, and raised close by in Arroyo
Grande, Efron took his first step toward acting at the age of 11 when
his parents took note of his singing ability. Singing lessons soon led
to an appearance in the production of "Gypsy" which ran 90
performances, and he was hooked.

After appearing on stage in "Peter Pan," "Mame," "Little Shop of
Horrors" and "The Music Man," guest parts quickly followed on
television series, including "Firefly," "ER" and "The Guardian." Efron
also starred in several pilots such as "The Big, Wide World of Carl
Laemke" and "Triple Play." He also recently starred as an autistic
child in the television movie "Miracle Run," alongside Mary-Louise
Parker and Aidan Quinn.


Zac Efron sure knows how to make a lasting first impression. Just last
year, this Hollywood newcomer, took a stab at guest-starring on
Summerland as the crush-worthy Cameron. The result? Well, The WB just
couldn't let this talented teen go back to life as an ordinary high
school student. Now, the California native has officially become a
regular on Summerland and, boy, does he have big plans for his
character, not to mention, his latest obsession, surfing. Here, Zac
gives you all the details.

My character is: "Your basic kid-next-door type of guy only this
season things are going to change. He's going to get pretty twisted."

The gnarliest part of being the new guy was: "Make-out scenes. The
first scene I ever did on this show was a make-out scene with Kay.
Those are really tough, but everyone made me feel right at home. It
was a blast because we got it out of the way. It made me feel like a
part of the cast."

On Summerland, I am: "All about the drama. This season, we find out
that [my character] has some really deep and heavy issues. His father
is an alcoholic and he's been abused. My plan is to run with that
bring in some drama, the kind that Summerland hasn't seen before."

When it comes to surfing: "I'm into it! I got a new board for
Christmas and a new wetsuit. I'm hitting the waves all over the place.
I live in San Luis Obispo [California]. And, yeah, we've had a couple
of [Great White] shark sightings, but so what. Here's the thing, if
you get bit by a shark you are the luckiest dude in the world because
you become a legend forever."

Portraying a tortured soul is: "Pretty difficult. Luckily, I've never
had to deal with the kind of intense pain he's had to deal with. That
makes it exciting for me. I really get into trying to imagine what
it's like to be in someone else's shoes."

Cameron Bale on Summerland

A junior in high school, Efron's favorite sports include golf, skiing,
rock climbing and snowboarding. He recently added surfing after
spending days on the beach for "Summerland." He plays the piano at
home, and is currently teaching himself to play the guitar. He's also
currently fixing up two cars in his spare time, a Delorean and '65
Mustang convertible, both treasured hand-me-downs from his
even-more-treasured grandfather.

Efron lives at home with his parents and his younger brother Dylan.
They have two highly affectionate Australian Shepherds, Dreamer and
Puppy, and a very independent Siamese cat named Simon.