Zac Efron Goes to White House in the Name of Art

Wed, 11 November 2009 04:40:19 ET

During his D.C. Visit to promote 'Me and Orson Welles', this 'High School Musical' star meets with administration officials and lobbies them to provide more funding for the arts in public schools.

Starring in "Me and Orson Welles" has made it possible for Zac Efron to get inside the White House, but promoting the movie wasn't the only thing on his agenda. On Tuesday, November 10, the Richard Samuels depicter along with co-star Claire Danes and director Richard Linklater made a visit to the principal workplace of the U.S. President to lobby for art funding.

While it was unfortunate that he and his companions didn't get the chance to meet with the President, they did manage to meet administration officials, include actor Kal Penn. During the conference with the officials, the trio tried to convince the office in providing more funding for the arts in public schools. The effort is part of their outreach to support Americans for the Arts.

Of his visit, the star of "High School Musical" said simply as quoted by The Hill, "I admire anyone who has devoted their lives to public service." Linklater chimed in, "It's great to have a president with such obvious empathy. You can see it in his books, his speeches and hopefully his politics, although I know that we've got to be patient."

Later in the evening, the boyfriend of actress Vanessa Hudgens was spotted attending an invite-only screening at the AMC Loews in Georgetown, Washington D.C. Prior to the screening, he met with some very lucky fans at a private reception at the Ritz Carlton in Georgetown.

In "Me and Orson Welles", Zac Efron stars as 17-year-old teenager who spends his days dreaming of the bright lights of Broadway and gets his big break when landing a part in Welles' historic staging of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. The movie is based on the novel by Robert Kaplow and will have limited theatrical release in the U.S. on November 25.

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