Thanks to The Internet We Now Know That Zac Efron and One Direction Are a Match Made in Heaven

Could Zac be the new Zayn?

By Seija Rankin Aug 03, 2015 7:03 PMTags
One Direction, Zac EfronKarwai Tang/WireImage

You remember Zac Efron. He's the guy in Neighbors, and you probably recognize him from those nudie photos on the set of the new Robert De Niro movie. Ring a bell? We thought so.

But the actor wasn't always the Zac Efron we know today. He used to be a singing, dancing, musical theater machine. Today's youths are probably too young to remember, but once upon a time Zac's main job was to perform kicky routines in a basketball uniform. Perhaps this will jog your memory.

You're also (probably) familiar with One Direction. You might know them from such hits as "What Makes You Beautiful" or "Story of My Life," or from such stories as When Zayn Quit the Band or When Louis Tomlinson Got a Girl Pregnant.Right, right...those guys.

Well it turns out that these two Popular Culture Phenomena might have a lot more in common than we thought. In fact, we'd go so far as to say that one Zac Efron may have actually been the secret original member of One Direction...years before the band was even a twinkle in their parents' eyes. Or something—we're not entirely sure how old the members of 1D are anyway. 

Just how do we know that these two are a match made in heaven? Thanks to Tumblr, obviously. A few ambitious users recently discovered that One Direction's newest single, "Drag Me Down," goes perfectly with several of Zac's High School Musical numbers. It's like the memory of Troy Bolton is built into the musical fiber of Harry Styles and the gang.

Just watch this first clip, when Zac a.k.a. Troy is doing one of his famous basketball court routines.

Not quite convinced yet? Then see Exhibit B, as Troy performs "Bet On It" on a country club golf course.

This s--t is uncanny, is it not?! We like to think that this genius discover will serve multiple purposes. First to start a heated discussion over whether Zac Efron should step up and fill the recently-departed Zayn's place in the band (Zac's Direction has a real ring, doesn't it?). And second to remind the world that Zac Efron had never had any formal dance training before starring in the High School Musical franchise. Let's all marvel at his hip swivels, shall we?

And thank you, Tumblr.