In his latest movie, the nautical drama Charlie St. Cloud, 17 Again star Zac Efron plays a college-bound sailing star who gradually loses touch with reality after his kid brother’s tragic death. It’s Efron’s darkest and most serious work to date, but fans who fret that the 22-year-old High School Musical veteran has suddenly disowned his teen heartthrob image needn’t worry: As weighty as Charlie St. Cloud’s subject matter is, the film still affords Efron plenty of opportunities to shed his shirt, typically after "accidentally" getting caught in a torrential downpour or "spontaneously" diving into a Pacific Northwest lake. Everyone grieves in their own way, I guess. 

Together with his Charlie St. Cloud co-star Charlie Tahan, Efron talked to us about being yoked — and getting soaked — in his latest film, which opens everywhere this Friday: