Michelle Trachtenberg

Seventeen was invited to visit the set of Zac Efron’s new movie, tentatively called 17 Again, last night, and we got to see the heartthrob in action. The scene was filmed at a house in Los Angeles — it was around 7 p.m. when we arrived, and Zac and his costar Michelle Trachtenberg (Ice Princess) were upstairs acting out a bedroom scene (scandalous!).

The plot is hilarious. Zac’s character, Mike, gives up a college scholarship to settle down with his high school girlfriend, Scarlet. They get married, have kids, and then as an adult, Mike (played by Matthew Perry of Friends fame) goes back to his high school and reflects on his failed marriage, career, and relationships with his teenage children. He makes a wish without realizing it, and all of a sudden, he’s 17 again. He enrolls in high school (the same one his kids go to) and tries to play it cool, but he’s bullied and made fun of. But in the end, he winds up forming a closer relationship with his kids, and we bet there’s a happy ending.

After shooting the same scene at different angles for an hour or two (fun fact: producer Jennifer Gibgot (Hairspray) said that most movie scenes take an average of three to four hours to shoot!), Zac ran downstairs and said hi. In a white V-neck T-shirt and red plaid button-up, we swooned when he smiled our way. We talked for a while and found out Zac has no preference when it comes to doing musicals or non-musicals. "Doing a movie is really just the same thing," he said. "But I do bust a move in this one." We’re sure it’s probably not as choreographed as his dances in HSM or Hairspray, but we can’t wait to see his dancing nonetheless!

"This is the first time I don’t relate to my character, though," he said. "I mean, I can’t really relate to a 37-year-old man!" Although, in the scene in which he tries to tell his daughter that he’s really her dad, he does a pretty good job of imitating his older self, Matthew Perry. The producer even told us that Zac sometimes calls Matthew during scenes for line readings (what a serious actor!).

So, what else did we dig up at the set? Zac’s food of choice is peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, although Michelle (who loves grilled cheese and Diet Coke) claims he steals the Nutella from her trailer.

The two of them seemed like they had a lot of fun on set together. "It’s really great working with Zac," she said. "We have a lot in common." Production is almost over (Zac’s going to begin filming a new movie next week), and 17 Again will be in theaters sometime this summer. We can’t wait to see it!

Efron revisits ’Seventeen’

While sitting among a gaggle of movie extras, I had to contain my laughter at some of the instructions given during my set visit to the shoot of "Seventeen." Girls were told to have their lip gloss on them at all times. And the boys? They better have taken care of any pesky facial hair before or, as a casting coordinator warned, "You don’t want me to shave you in front of the director!"

Yikes! It seems some of these "teenagers" aren’t as young as they seem. But that’s the magic of Hollywood. For example, this night’s bonfire scene for the new comedy is meant to take place in the summer, not on a 50-degree night in January. Because of the chilly and windy weather, the shoot was scratched that night, but the stars took time to sit down and chat. And when one of them happens to be Zac Efron, even 15 minutes with this media sensation is worth a trek out to the beach.

Based on an idea by producers Jennifer Gibgot and Adam Shankman (Efron’s "Hairspray" director), "Seventeen" is an inverse of the classic Tom Hanks movie "Big." Instead of a young boy turning into an adult, an older man turns into his younger self and, of course, learns something about himself and his family along the way. Matthew Perry plays the older version of Mike O’Donnell, and Efron takes over after Mike is bizarrely turned back into a teenager. Michelle Trachtenberg ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Ice Princess") plays the rebellious daughter O’Donnell has to set straight (among other problems). "I was a very regular 17-year-old," the 20-year-old Efron notes. "I wasn’t fighting crime or anything."

"I was — vampires," Trachtenberg deadpans. "We wrapped ’Buffy’ when I was 17 — a little different. I definitely was not a party girl, though. I sat home and read books and watched ’Law & Order’ marathons."

Efron admits hes tried to incorporate a few of Perry’s mannerisms for his part, but that’s it. He says, "I try not to do too much of it because people really do act different when they are younger. What I wanted to play a lot with this character is watching his youth come out of him when he turns 17. I didn’t want it to be the exact same thing."

With the film only five days away from completing production, Efron has found solace on the set, which has thankfully shielded him from increasing paparazzi attention (although Gibgot says he seems to have a sixth sense of when they are around). But Efron also admits, "Sets are not really the fun places you’d think they would be. It’s kind of a bunch of ominous, big, hairy grips running around with big trucks."

One thing Efron and Trachtenberg agree on is that neither is ready to return to their high school years. Of course, Efron will make an exception to finish his "Senior Year" this spring. "’High School Musical 3’? Oh, that I’m looking forward to. Absolutely," Efron says. "We are going to start it in a few months and, other than that, I can’t really talk too much about it."

Something tells me discovering those secrets is going to require yet another set visit.

"Seventeen" should hit theaters this August.