Zac Efron is quirkier than you may think

Zac Efron may look like an innocent, boyish fellow in his photos and in most stories about his Hollywood life. He is incredibly handsome, extraordinarily charismatic, and he even just adopted a pit bull to save the dog from euthanasia. What a nice guy! But the truth is that Zac is kind of quirky in his tastes and has a darker, more tormented side. The darker facet of his personality will likely help the young actor believably play infamous serial killer Ted Bundy in an upcoming film that will certainly be no "High School Musical." Reports by The Gamer, The Fix, and Perez Hilton were used to relay all the information in this article.

Zac Efron aspires to greatness

By way of a prelude to the more serious subject of Zac's struggles with alcohol and drugs, Zac Efron has said if he could trade places with anyone in the world, he would become England's, Queen Elizabeth. It is unclear whether Zac would go so far as to don queenly garments in pursuit of this wish, though the desire to be Queen is likely the stuff of whimsey, or perhaps an idea born after too many drinks (before Zac got sober). It improbable that the "High School Musical" star could ever ascend to the British throne in real life (or even play the Queen in a film, for that matter, though his versatility as an actor is increasing). Instead of a British royal, Zac is playing the darkly sinister murderer Ted Bundy.

And Zac's darker side may have helped him get in touch with the mindset of a serial killer. If Zac is ascending to any throne, it is with this new role to the throne of true Hollywood stardom.

Zac Efron's struggles with addiction are a window into understanding Ted Bundy

Zac has been in rehab twice and nearly died of an overdose in 2013.

This may help him play Ted Bundy. Criminologist Craig Taube draws a link between substance abusers and serial killers, specifically using Bundy as an example of someone "addicted to murder." Taube explained that Ted Bundy followed about 30 women at a time, keeping track of this pool of potential victims in case he needed a "murder fix." Once in prison, Bundy turned to psychoactive substances, presumably to satiate his desire to kill.

Addiction (to murder or to substances) is about compulsion regardless of consequence, so Zac Efron may use his own experience of compulsion to use drugs and alcohol to imagine what it might be like to have a compulsion to kill.

Zac Efron is a complex character

Aside from having a fit body, killer good looks, and a sweet demeanor, Zac Efron is more than just a "High School Musical" star with good luck for landing interesting roles. He has that mischievous sense of humor which would lead him to say he would trade places with the Queen of England, and a history of struggling with the personal demons of addiction. Perhaps it is the multilayered nature of his personality that provides versatility in the types of roles he is able to play, from "Baywatch" lifeguard to the sinister Ted Bundy.

It will be interesting to watch Zac's acting career as it unfolds. Maybe, if he is lucky and the situation warrants it, one day he will get to play one of the English royals, and perhaps even his beloved Queen. Anything is possible on the silver screen, in the magical world of the movies.