Zac Efron on neglecting personal life: mental health now his top priority
Synopsis
Zac Efron has admitted he spent years neglecting his personal life for his Hollywood career — and is now done with it. From rejecting the Baywatch body standard as unsustainable to building a hemp home on 128 hectares near Byron Bay, the 38-year-old is engineering a life reset that is as physical as it is psychological.
Key Takeaways
Zac Efron , 38 , has publicly admitted he ‘neglected’ his personal life for years while focusing on his Hollywood career.
He told Heat magazine his biggest motivation now is happiness in both his professional and personal life.
Efron said the physique he achieved for Baywatch was ‘not sustainable’ and he will not sacrifice mental health for a role again.
He is building a sustainable home near Byron Bay, New South Wales , on a 128-hectare plot purchased in 2020 .
The home is designed by Joost Bakker , will be largely made from hemp, and will include six bedroom ‘pods’ and a rooftop garden.
Efron bought the land on the advice of actor Russell Crowe .
Hollywood actor Zac Efron has opened up about a significant shift in his life priorities, admitting he spent years neglecting his personal well-being in single-minded pursuit of his career. The 38-year-old actor says he is now determined to place happiness and mental health at the centre of his life — a change he describes as long overdue.
What Efron Said
Speaking to Heat magazine, Efron was candid about the cost of his professional ambitions. “It’s taken me a while to get there, but my biggest motivation is to be happy in both my professional and personal life. For too long, I only focused on work and I neglected my personal life,” he said.
The actor also addressed the physical and psychological toll of extreme body transformations for film roles, specifically citing his preparation for the 2017 film Baywatch. “The shape I was in for Baywatch wasn’t sustainable. I wasn’t happy living the way I was to get in that shape. These days, I place a much bigger priority on my mental health,” Efron said, adding that he would not sacrifice his well-being for a role again.
The Baywatch Body Standard and Its Aftermath
Efron’s remarks about Baywatch touch on a broader conversation around male body image in Hollywood. His now-famous physique from that film became a cultural reference point, but the actor has now made clear the personal cost was steep. He argued that men, like women, must be realistic about body standards that are neither achievable nor healthy to maintain long-term.
Notably, this is not the first time Efron has hinted at struggles behind the scenes. His candour here adds weight to a growing movement among male actors pushing back against extreme physical demands from studios.
Building a Dream Home in Australia
Away from Hollywood, Efron is channelling his renewed focus on personal life into a major project in Australia. He is working with designer Joost Bakker to build a sustainable home in the countryside near Byron Bay in New South Wales. The property sits on a 128-hectare plot of land Efron purchased in 2020, reportedly on the advice of fellow actor Russell Crowe.
The home, largely constructed from hemp, will feature six bedroom “pods” and a rooftop garden — reflecting Efron’s stated interest in sustainability and a quieter, more grounded lifestyle away from the Hollywood spotlight.
What This Signals
Efron’s public reckoning with years of career-first thinking arrives at a moment when mental health conversations in the entertainment industry are gaining traction. His willingness to name the personal cost of Hollywood’s physical expectations — and to act on it by literally relocating and rebuilding — gives his comments more than performative weight. Whether this marks a genuine lifestyle pivot or a transitional phase remains to be seen, but his next professional choices will likely reflect the balance he says he is now seeking.
Point of View
And the Baywatch benchmark became shorthand for aspirational male fitness — but Efron’s pushback reframes it as a cautionary tale. His decision to anchor himself in rural Australia rather than Los Angeles is not incidental; it is the structural expression of the shift he is describing. The more interesting question is whether studios will adjust their expectations, or whether the next generation of actors will face the same pressures regardless of what Efron says now.
NationPress
2 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Zac Efron say about neglecting his personal life?
Efron told Heat magazine that for too long he focused only on work and neglected his personal life. He said his biggest motivation now is to find happiness in both his professional and personal life.
Why does Zac Efron say the Baywatch body was unsustainable?
Efron said he was not happy living the way he had to in order to achieve the physique seen in the 2017 film Baywatch, and that the shape was not sustainable long-term. He has said he will not sacrifice his mental health to get in shape for a role again.
Where is Zac Efron building his home in Australia?
Efron is building a sustainable home near Byron Bay in New South Wales, on a 128-hectare plot he purchased in 2020. The project is being designed by Joost Bakker and will feature six bedroom pods, hemp construction, and a rooftop garden.
Who advised Zac Efron to buy land in Australia?
Efron has said he bought the land in Australia on the advice of fellow actor Russell Crowe.
What is Zac Efron’s current priority in life?
According to his own statements, Efron’s current priority is mental health and personal happiness, after years of placing his Hollywood career above everything else.
