Zac Efron has revealed he was unwittingly rescued from a burning building by Hugh Jackman on the set of their upcoming film, The Greatest Showman. The 29-year-old told MTV that a scripted moment turned into reality when pyrotechnics overheated during filming for a scene, which called for Hugh's character, legendary showman PT Barnum, to carry his assistant Philip out of a house in flames. "It started to get late, and some of the pyrotechnics got a little bit too hot," Zac explained during an appearance at CinemaCon this week.
© Photo: Getty ImagesZac Efron has revealed he was saved from a burning building by Hugh Jackman
"We burst out of the building. It looked great on camera. We didn't know it [at the time], but it was pretty intense. I watched playback, and he saved me from a burning building. It was a set, but it later burned down." The former High School Musical star added: "It was pretty awesome. Hugh Jackman saving you from a burning building? It's every girl’s dream!"
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The Greatest Showman is a musical drama, which tells the story of American showman P.T. Barnum, founder of the circus that became the famous travelling Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. It features a star-studded cast, including Michelle Williams, Zendaya and Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation actress Rebecca Ferguson. Speaking at CinemaCon, Hugh described the movie as a "fantastical rags to riches tale" and a celebration of "creativity and what is unique about each and every one of us".
© Photo: Getty ImagesHugh on stage at CinemaCon, talking about upcoming movie The Greatest Showman
The upcoming biographical film features songs and music from Justin Paul and Benj Pasek, who won an Oscar for La La Land, and also worked on the Broadway hit Dear Evan Hansen. Hugh joked that he had discovered the pair before they worked on the Academy Award-winning movie, adding, "Not that I'm competitive!" The 48-year-old star also revealed that The Greatest Showman had taken seven years to bring to the big screen, concluding: "This movie is about taking risks… and that is what is going to propel this business."
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