Zac Efron Is Dylan’s ‘Biggest Fan’ and Mentor to Younger Siblings (EXCL)
Zac Efron has a great relationship with his younger brother Dylan — himself a successful influencer and emerging actor — and the pair are just as fond of their younger half-siblings Olivia and Henry. A source exclusively tells Life & Style the High School Musical heartthrob has taken on a doting mentor role for his younger siblings and is for sure making their blended family a welcome one!
“They are one of Hollywood’s happiest blended families,” says an insider close to the Efrons. “They both adore their little brother and sister. There’s such a massive age gap, so it would be easy to be quite detached, but Zac and Dylan have both made a huge effort to bond with them.”
Zac, 37, rose to fame as the teen face of High School Musical, but has since developed into a versatile actor and built a diverse list of post-Disney credits, including The Greatest Showman, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, and most recently The Iron Claw. But the source notes he’s just as down-to-earth at home as he’s always been.
The Neighbors star’s brother, Dylan, 33, has also carved out a career for himself in entertainment and social media with fitness and outdoor-adventuring content on YouTube and Instagram. In the same vein, he’s also collaborated with his older brother on the Netflix adventure series Down to Earth with Zac Efron, where he served as both a producer and cohost.
“Dylan has more free time so he’s able to be around a lot more, just because Zac is usually going from one set to another,” the source adds. “But anytime Zac isn’t working, he makes visiting home a huge priority.”
The brother’s bond is as strong as ever and the two are often praising each other in interviews, posts and press appearances. Zac told People he used their relationship as inspiration for his performance in The Iron Claw.
“This movie is about brothers, at the core of it, and you know, I’m a big brother myself. I love him to death. But there’s a certain kind of relationship — I don’t know, it’s just the brother bond.”
“Family is everything to him,” the insider continues. “You can see that in the way he’s always kept Dylan so close. He’s his biggest supporter and fan, he’s always talking Dylan up.”
In fact, Zac played a key role in launching Dylan’s social media career. The source explains, “He helped him launch his YouTube channel and has done a lot to promote him and encourage him to go after a career in the business too. He’s also teamed up with him on shows and helped get him jobs.”
Zac’s caring big brother mentality extends to their much younger half-siblings, Olivia and Henry, from their father’s second marriage. “He’s the older brother and he sees it as his duty to look out for Dylan,” the source says. “And it will be the same with Olivia and Henry. He’ll be there for them for whatever they need.”