Zac Efron’s Skid Row Fight: Actor Explains How Homeless Man Attacked His Friend
The Neighbors star raised a lot of eyebrows — and started a lot of rumors — when he was involved in a fight with a homeless man early on the morning of March 23. Now the actor is finally explaining what really went down, in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
“I had a friend come pick me up late at night — we were looking for a place downtown to get a bite and catch up,” he told the magazine. “We were having trouble finding somewhere — a lot of places were closed — and the car ran out of gas off the 110. It was ridiculous. We had to pull over, and I called Uber.”
What happened next was truly terrifying, Zac explains.
A homeless guy, or vagrant, tapped on the driver’s-side window. Before I knew it, he [the friend] was out of the car, and they started fighting. I saw that [the homeless man] was carrying some sort of a knife, or shank, and I got out of the car to disarm him. At some point, he dropped the knife, and I got hit pretty hard in the face — and almost instantly the police were there to break up the fight.
He tells the magazine that the fight was “the most terrifying moment in my life.”
Zac Efron Opens Up About Addiction
The actor also talked about his recent and “never-ending struggle” with addiction and how he’s recovering.
“I was drinking a lot, way too much,” he told the magazine. “It’s never one specific thing. I mean, you’re in your 20s, single, going through life in Hollywood, you know?”
Zac revealed that he needed to learn a lesson, even if it was a difficult one: “Everything is thrown at you. I wouldn’t take anything back; I needed to learn everything I did. But it was an interesting journey, to say the least.”
The actor completed a stint in rehab for alcohol and cocaine addiction back in 2013. Since getting clean, he’s joined Alcoholics Anonymous. Zac’s also been seeing a therapist to help with his recovery. “I just started going,” he told THR of therapy. “And I think it’s changed my life. I’m much more comfortable in my own skin. Things are so much easier now”
Zac Efron: Hollywood’s Golden Boy
Zac has been beloved by fans everywhere ever since he made his big screen debut in High School Musical in 2006. Since then, the actor has skyrocketed to superstardom. At the 2014 MTV Movie Awards on April 13, he was awarded the Best Shirtless Performance. His newest film, Neighbors, is garnering a ton of buzz about the actor, who plays the head of a fraternity who butts heads with Seth Rogen.
We’re so glad Zac finally opened up about the truth of the Skid Row fight. If he really was just trying to protect his friend, then he’s a hero!
So HollywoodLifers, are you glad Zac finally revealed the truth about the Skid Row fight? Do you buy it? Are you glad he’s staying clean? Are you excited for Neighbors? Let us know!
— Avery Thompson
Follow @avery__thompson
More Zac Efron News:
- Zac Efron Shows Off His ‘Beautiful’ Penis On ‘Workaholics’ — Watch
- Zac Efron & Rumored Girlfriend Get Cozy At ‘Neighbors’ Premiere
- Zac Efron: How He Got His Amazing Pecs & Abs