Zac Efron has thanked his parents for "sticking by [him]" on his quest for fame.
Zac Efron (second left) has thanked his mom Starla and dad David for their constant support
The 36-year-old actor became a teen idol after he was cast as Troy Bolton in the Disney Channel runaway hit 'High School Musical' in the mid-2000s and has gone on to achieve mega success in film but reflected upon receiving his star on the Hollywood Walk on Fame that he doesn't know how his parents managed to support him in his early years, especially when the odds of making it were stacked against him.
He told People: "My mom and dad, they're the reason I'm here today. They believed in me when I don't know how they did. It must've been difficult to drive me back and forth to auditions when I was 15, three hours from the Arroyo Grande out here, just to have such a small shot.
"They believed in me, and they stuck with me, by my side, through all of it. And I think they sacrificed a lot to support me throughout the years. So to have them here and to both be here in person is ... it makes me emotional, man. It's very special. It means the world to me!"
The 'Iron Claw' star worked with the late 'Friends' actor - who died in October aged 54 - on 2009 comedy '17 Again', and he admitted the experience "really pushed" as a performer.
Speaking at his star ceremony in Hollywood on Monday (11.12.23), Zac said: "I really also want to mention someone that's not here today, and that's Matthew Perry, who was so kind and generous with me when we worked on '17 Again.' "
He played a younger version of Matthew's character Mike O'Donnell, and he admitted his Walk of Fame ceremony made him think "a lot" about his late co-star.
He added: "It was so much fun and really did propel me and motivate me in so many ways.
"It really pushed me into the next chapter of my career. And for that, thank you so much Matthew, thinking about you a lot today."
Tagged in Zac Efron