Zac Efron Admits His On-Screen Kiss with Zendaya in The Greatest Showman Was His 'Favorite'

Zac Efron has had his fair share of on-screen kisses, but the one he shared with Zendaya on The Greatest Showman might just top his list.

The two stars play young performers drawn into P.T. Barnum’s world as he sets out to create the greatest circus ever made. Their characters, Philip Carlyle and Anne Wheeler, are also drawn to each other, but work commitments pose interference in their relationship.

When the actors were asked what it was like to lock lips on the film, Zendaya, 21, said every moment between the two characters was “incredibly special.”

“You’re into the moment! When you’re into a character, the whole time, they’re not allowed to as much as touch, talk, speak, have a moment between each other,” she said. “So every moment, even if they’re just touching, is really, really, incredibly special. It’s not just another kiss. It’s different. We try to take ourselves out of it and become these two characters, and that’s their moment.”

Efron, 30, added, “This might be my favorite kiss, I think ever.”

He continued, “Just because at this point for these characters, it’s so built up, the tension between them is so strong, and literally, just a glance between them is electric.”

“And when they finally have the courage in that moment to finally connect and get that kiss, it’s that epic musical moment,” he said.

The actor’s past on-screen kisses have included former longtime girlfriend, Vanessa Hudgens, on Disney’s High School Musical trilogy. He also kissed Michelle Pfeiffer in 2011’s New Year’s Eve, Nikki Blonsky in Hairspray, Nicole Kidman in The Paperboy and Taylor Schilling in The Lucky One.