Heartthrob Zac Efron is desperate to ditch his pretty boy image and star as a crime fighter in a big screen cop drama.

The actor is frustrated he only gets offered roles in teen comedies and musicals - but accepts he needs to earn the right to get meatier parts.

Efron tells GQ magazine "A guy I worked with recently told me, 'You have to earn the right to hold a gun.' And that completely made sense. Can you imagine me running around with a gun in a film?"

"I noticed the second I started that the things you want to be involved with are always just out of reach. Most parts you'd want, people won't really consider you for, because you have to earn that respect."

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(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)