Zac Efron Got a Surprise 'High School Musical' Tribute on 'The Iron Claw' Set

The star had a little impromptu serenade on set from his co-star Stanley Simons.

High School Musical was just the thing to break the ice during an intense moment on the set of The Iron Claw

On Thursday, the film's stars -- Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson and Stanley Simons (who play the Von Erich brothers) --appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show, where they opened up about the sing-along on set. 

Simons admitted to learning the chords of "Breaking Free," Efron's character, Troy Bolton's, big song from the Disney Channel franchise, in order to loosen things up on set. 

"I think it would be a disservice to anyone in my generation if I didn't do something," Simons jokes. 

The moment happened during a live party scene. According to Simons, he decided that in order to get over the nerves he was feeling prior to filming with Efron, he figured he would learn the song and sing it.  

"The night before I was fretting about the scene," Simons says. "And I gave a little rendition and it was in front of Zac."

Dickinson adds, "He did it kinda sneaky as well." 

Efron didn't mind, though, and gave the performance his seal of approval. 

"It means the world, it's so fun," he shares with Clarkson.

Efron, who starred alongside Ashley Tisdale, Vanessa Hudgens and Corbin Bleu, said that almost 20 years later, he's still proud to get love from Wildcat fans. 

"The other day in Hollywood [during his Walk of Fame ceremony] there were so many Wildcat jerseys out and the fans are still out there in force," he tells Clarkson. "It's fun though. They used to be very young, but now there's like 40-year-old dudes out there, it's awesome. I love it. I love it."

While speaking to ET earlier this month, Efron dished on his reaction to hearing Simons sing the tune. 

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"Oh he crushed it," Efron told ET. "Also it worked really well for the characters because I think, it made me embarrassed. I was definitely flushed. It worked great, it was hilarious, and I'm gonna get you back for that."

Last week, while singing "Breaking Free" mid-interview with Dickinson, Efron revealed that people always try to test his High School Musical knowledge. 

"And a lot of people think that they're gonna get me when they do it and I'm always so prepared," Efron said about people trying to test his knowledge of the lyrics. "But it was so sweet, he has a great voice. I felt very special."

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