When FILMINK first encountered the teen poppettes of High School Musical they were in Sydney on a whirlwind koala-hugging, bridge-climbing, harbour-marvelling tour. Zac Efron - the lead of the uber-lucrative trilogy, the newest instalment of which will garner a theatrical release for the first time - hadn't stacked on the extra sheath of muscle he now carries, and his eyes held the full gamut of naivet that has somewhat dissipated since he's been handed the keys to Young Hollywood.

It's hard to imagine in 2008 the now industry-savvy cast making the entrance they made that day - standing on gaffa-marked spots behind a stage curtain, which hiked up like a very short skirt, to reveal the teens bopping away, only to do a choreographed stagger to their chairs to field questions.

One-on-one Efron was, as he still appears to be, the perfect gentleman. "Man, it is so crazy being down here. I pick up your paper this morning and rugby league is on the front page. Never in a million years would you see that in the States obviously. It would be one of our basketball playing Gods no doubt."

Efron knows a thing or two about basketball, as he plays the beaming Troy Bolton - a scholarship-ready hoops thoroughbred indulging his secret love for singing in the first instalment, which becomes less of a secret by the time the summer resort-themed sequel swung into gear.

Essaying a sweet jock, even in as prefabricated a genre as the tween musical, hasn't been easy sailing for the young star though - he reckons that while the dancing has come naturally, slinging a basketball and sinking three-pointers has been a constant struggle. "I'm not actually that naturally sporty dude," Efron says with a wide grin, dispelling the notion that despite his ropey muscle he's an athletic specimen.

"I think more than being super sporty I'm actually just slightly coordinated and good at faking it. But in the films as far as I know I'll always be doing my own stunts." That extends to the court, which Efron chalks up to "lots of practice and rehearsal making it look good."

Efron might not have spent hours at the park on his jump shot, but he has been singing since he could speak - and the star still puts on concerts for appreciative audiences. "Ah, I put on concerts all the time! I'm always singing. Except don't expect to see me break out into it now - it's only when I'm in the shower."

For Efron, the HSM sequels are less about rehashing the charm of the first edition than charting the changes in the characters' lives. "There's a lot of changes in that period when you're a teenager. So as we get that little bit older of course the characters will grow and mature and change which gives you new dramatic scenarios to play with and new temptations and pressures of course."

Despite the willingness of his co-stars like Ashley Tisdale and Vanessa Hudgens to branch off into musical careers, Efron has remained reticent about doing his own album. His pipes have been the center of speculation at times, as he was allegedly the one cast member not to have his own voice on the original High School Musical soundtrack. This has been rectified for the sequels apparently. "I tend to say that getting too stuck into the purely music side of things is off limits for now. It's not as simple as just recording tracks - you have to do a tour and push it properly. I'm having such a great time acting and it seems like I'll get to keep indulging that passion for music with other projects."

Efron has always been coy on sequels - even when the first film was released to thunderous applause and record-breaking Neilson ratings. But one gets the sense that three films may not be the end if High School Musical 3 conquers the worldwide box office as expected. "It's not up to the actors," Efron says on the issue. "We show up and do our job and do our best. But of course it is so much fun to do this and if the script is good, why wouldn't I?"

Despite being at the center of the 'Zanessa' maelstrom when he dated co-star Hudgens, (igniting an orgiastic response from the paparazzi - especially when the center of their bright star imploded), Young Hollywood has yet to claim Efron. He retains his clean-cut and vanilla image effortlessly. "Hey, I love to just do my own thing and have fun as much as the next guy. The difference is I don't need to do it out in the public eye."

High School Musical 3: Senior Year is released on December 4.