At the press day for the film, Zac Efron and co-star Claire Danes, who plays Sonja Jones, Welles' assistant and a love interest for both characters, talked about developing their 1930's characters.

Q: What made each of you decide to do this film?

Zac: It was different and it was a very unique opportunity for me, at the time, and still is. It was something that didn't seem so cut and dry. It wasn't an obvious decision, and even I was a bit surprised, and that's very cool. I hope I can continue to maintain that and have those options. We do this to grow and try new things, and that was exactly what this movie represented for me, so thank God. It came at a perfect time.

Claire: The script was wonderful. It's really not that often that you read a script that is immediately engaging, coherent and charming. I loved all of the characters. They were all so detailed and specific. And, Richard Linklater was directing it, and I just love his work.

Zac: It seemed ambitious to me. Rick always says we made a screwball comedy about Welles, which is something he would never have done himself. We put him into a movie that he never would have been a part of.

Q: Zac, how do you feel about the fact that something you wear usually effects fashion a little bit?

Zac: It's all about accessories. I notice people that look good. I notice fashion on other people. I enjoy when people try to look their best. I was always taught to try and look my best. That's my main influence. I'm not looking to influence fashion, any more than the next guy. But, I try to do my best when I'm out representing my movies.

Q: Did you like the clothes from the 1930's in the film?

Zac: I think I stole some of the stuff. On the last day, they always try to get it out of your trailer, really quick. I always steal some of my wardrobe. I never know what I'm going to need.

Q: What kind of research did you do for this role? Did you read the original book?

Zac: I read the original book. For my age, I pretty much had the standard knowledge about Orson Welles. I studied him in high school, a little bit before that, and was familiar with a lot of his work, like the War of the Worlds radio broadcast. Coming into this, I thought I was pretty well-read on Orson and then immediately found out that I hadn't even scratched the surface on this guy. Rick Linklater was the one who really filled us in and supplied us with endless literature, articles and old photos. I think I've seen every picture of Orson that ever existed.

Q: Were you a fan of his work?

Zac: Yeah, definitely

Claire: It's hard not to be.

Q: What was your first introduction to Orson Welles? Was it through a movie?

Claire: I discovered Orson Welles in college. My freshman English professor screened Citizen Kane for us and I ended up writing a 20-page term paper on it. I'm sure that I'm not the only one. Many a term paper is dedicated to Orson Welles. So, I fell in love with him there, and since then I've seen a few other of his films, but didn't realize that he'd been such a revolutionary figure in theater as well, and then radio. He was really a maverick, in so many different mediums, at such a young age. It's mind-boggling.

Zac: At 22, he'd done more than anybody could ever dream.

Q: He was pretty arrogant at 22, though.

Claire: Well, yeah, and rightfully so. The movie talks about the confusion of that. Even Sonja says, "With someone like Orson, you excuse a lot of behavior." It's true. When somebody's ego is in service of really brilliant, innovative work, it's hard to criticize their failures as a human.

Q: Zac, what was your first introduction to Orson Welles and when?

Zac: I was probably 16. I had worked with a director who said his favorite movie of all time was Citizen Kane and, as a wrap gift, he gave me the DVD. I was definitely fascinated by it and thought it was an incredible movie, but was probably too young to fully appreciate it, at that point.

Q: Your character, Richard, has to learn a lesson about dealing with Hollywood-type egos. Have you had to learn any lessons like that?

Zac: I think things have changed a little bit. I've never had an experience quite like that. I'd say it was reminiscent of a lot of my early theater experiences. It's pretty cut-throat and there was always another kid to pull from the sidelines, ready to take your place. But, I never experienced a guy quite like Orson.

Claire: Not many people have.

Q: When preparing for the project, did you just sit and watch The Magnificent Ambersons and then justify it as research?

Claire: I didn't with this movie.

Zac: This movie predates any of his films. At this point, in Welles career, he hadn't done that.

Q: Did you want to just watch any of his films, though?

Claire: Netflix is great for that. My husband (actor Hugh Dancy) and I watched a lot of Hitchcock movies in bulk, and there's a lot to be gained from focusing strictly on one artist's canon. I recently presented Robert DeNiro with an award and watched a lot of his movies. It's true that, when you see the work in concentration like that, it's really revealing.

Q: Zac, does it give you a sense of accomplishment that, because of your participation in this film, you're going to have a lot of young people out there get introduced to Orson Welles, who maybe never would have?

Zac: Exactly. People ask, "What about Orson Welles is going to attract a young audience?" But, what I'm hoping is that the audience that does come is able to enjoy this experience with such an iconic guy. Hopefully, it'll spark their interest and they'll be able to learn more and go find out about Welles and his amazing, very interesting roller coaster career.

Q: Your character, Richard, is based on a real person. Did you get to meet him?

Zac: No. He's based on a real person, but Rick Linklater was very hands-on, in trying to get as much of his story as we could. All the stuff with setting off the fire alarms was real. Other than that, he steered pretty far away from the real guy.

Q: Did you two meet over coffee or anything to talk about your parts before filming?

Claire: We rehearsed, mostly with Christian McKay and Rick Linklater, for a few days, and then they rehearsed again with the people in the play within the movie. I wasn't involved with that.

Q: Claire, since Sonja wasn't based on a real person, but was a compilation of people, did you base her on anyone you knew?

Claire: No. She's written so well. She was really vivid on the page, so I didn't have to stretch my imagination too much. She's bright and she's ambitious. I'm always impressed by that. I always think that's a good thing, especially in that time when woman were discouraged to do that and their goals were more confined and limited. Sonja is pretty brazen.

Q: What was it like to rehearse with Christian and develop your characters?

Claire: He was great. He adapted it pretty brilliantly.

Zac: Originally, he alluded to the fact that he was a bit nervous, coming in with very little experience on film. And, I just remember that, from the second I heard him speak and hung out with him and saw his personality, I'd never felt more confident in a leading man. He's very intelligent and a very quick study. Me and Claire sat in the room on the first day of rehearsals, when he read his lines for the first time as Orson, and were shocked. I was floored.

Claire: He'd also played the role on stage, and that was a good foundation for him, but he was playing him much later in life.

Zac: He exceeded our wildest expectations. It was absolutely incredible, and even better just to be with him and hang out. He definitely deserves all this.

Q: Zac, have you seen any early drafts or songs for Hairspray 2?

Zac: No, not at all.

Q: Are you going to do it?

Zac: You know what? I have not heard anything about it at all.

Q: Are you doing Jonny Quest?

Zac: Once again, I don't know.

Q: You recently wrapped The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud in Vancouver. Who do you play in the film?

Zac: I play a character named Charlie, who is the golden boy in his high school, and then his life takes a turn with the death of his little brother. It's a story about how he copes with that, and it's a love story. It's hard to explain. It always comes across like I'm digging graves.

Claire: Also, he's just finished filming it. I never know what a movie is about, when I've just done it. I get too close to it and it's fuzzy.

Q: Claire, what are you doing next?

Claire: I'm doing a movie for HBO, called Temple Grandin (about a woman who became a best-selling author and one of the top scientists in the field of humane livestock handling).

ME AND ORSON WELLES opens on November 25th

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