Some people like roller coasters, while some people are obssessed with roller coasters. And then there’s Zac Efron, who loves one particular coaster so much that he rode it 12 times in one day. The actor revealed that love during an interview with CinemaBlend. And, interestingly enough, his A Family Affair co-star, Joey King, who recently stunned at the film’s premiere also loves it, even though it apparently makes her blackout.
In the upcoming Netflix movie A Family Affair, Zac Efron plays a celebrity who laments that his fame prevents him from doing many activities normal people do. Efron and Joey King both have the same problem, and they told CinemaBlend’s Sarah El-Mahmoud that if they could do anything without being recognized it would be to visit an amusement park or theme park. The leading man says that when hitting a park he goes for the most thrilling experience first, which his co-star found shocking…
- Zac Efron: The biggest, best drop.
- Joey King: Really? You start there. You don’t build to that? … That’s weird.
- Efron: I’m trying to get brain damage.
Fame or not, both actors are frequent visitors to Six Flags Magic Mountain in Southern California. They know it well and it’s a must for any true roller coaster fan. Actors like them and even Kylie Jenner tend to visit Magic Mountain almost as often as celebrities like John Stamos and Jodie Sweetin visit Disneyland. Magic Mountain itself has been in many films standing in for other fictional theme parks (which I’d visit if possible).
Both stars have a particular affinity for the same coaster, the Goliath. While the 20-year-old attraction is far from cutting edge today, it was the fastest closed-circuit coaster, with the longest ever drop when it was built and, even two decades later, it’s a harrowing experience for many.
Joey King apparently loves the fact that it gets extreme, as she says she blacks out on the ride, which is why it’s a favorite. But there’s another coaster that does the same to her:
- King: Goliath is a fave because I black out every single time on Goliath. When I go in that little turn. But you know what else I black out on every time I go on it, and it doesn’t make any sense because it’s not like any G related… I don’t know. It’s the Batman ride.
- Efron: Yeah, that one sneaks up on you!
Zac Efron loves the Goliath so much that once, and another anecdote proves that. He says that once, when he had the assistance of the park to avoid being hassled (which also let him jump the queue), he did the coaster a dozen times in a single day. The result was pretty much what you’d expect:
- Efron: I think I did Goliath 12 times in one day on a trip, because we had the front-of-the-line guy.
- King: And that’s why he is the way he is now.
- Efron: I’ve never been the same since. My brain’s fully to the left. It ended up being a short day because we had done Goliath 12 times and I got so sick.
Hitting an amusement park with these two sounds like it would be a blast, though I’m not sure I could handle their level of extreme. Regardless, kudos to them for their thrill-seeking ways! And if you want to see the actors in a less stressful context, be sure you have a Netflix subscription so that you can stream A Family Affair when it drops on June 28 as part of the 2024 movie schedule.
