Nicholas Sparks on Zac Efron: 'He Was The Perfect Choice'

Zac Efron flips up the hood of his sweater as he arrives at LAX Airport in Los Angeles on Tuesday afternoon (April 17).

Just last night, the 24-year-old actor walked the red carpet at the premiere of his new movie, The Lucky One.

Speaking with The Huffington Post, author Nicholas Sparks shared, “Zac was the perfect choice. We were looking for someone who was the right age. If you’re not an officer, you’re 18 to 25 … We also wanted someone who had already been in front of a camera because Logan was a tough role to play. It took a lot of depth.”

He added, “Zac just seemed most suited for the role. He worked so hard at it too. He put on 20 pounds of muscle, and he worked out for three hours a day. It wasn’t easy.”

10+ pics inside…