Dylan Efron is loving his role as a big brother — and he is thankful to his older sibling Zac Efron for setting a great example.
“My motto [for building a strong bond with brother Henry and sister Olivia] has just been FaceTime. I try to see them as much as I can,” Dylan, 31, exclusively told Us Weekly while promoting his YouTube series about surf culture in California. “But really, I just think back and my brother was such a good brother to me and I want to be that for them. So it’s really just — I like thinking what they think of me and I want to be that presence for them.”
Dylan and Zac, 35, often offer adorable glimpses at their quality time with younger siblings Henry and Olivia. The duo have even joked about who their sister prefers more depending on the day.
“Honestly, my little sister’s the sweetest. She doesn’t have favorites, so it’s more we’re playing with each other. But every time we see her — I can’t say enough about her. And then Henry too,” Dylan shared with Us. “He’s just getting to that age where he is [developing his] personality. So it is hard to even pick between the two of them really. I see myself so much in Henry and then [in] Olivia, I see Zac. She’s going to be an actress probably [because] she’s got such a big personality. Henry’s a little sports player.”
As his siblings get older, Dylan is excited to share some of his favorite activities with them.
“I’m waiting for them to get a little older so I can just teach them everything. I want to take them rock climbing, I want to get them outside. I know my dad’s going to be nervous about it, but as soon as they’re old enough I’m going to be throwing them in the fire,” he said before joking, “[My idea of old enough] is a little different than my dad’s probably. I’m thinking about eight. I think once they’re eight, we’re going to be doing some road trips.”
Fans have grown familiar with Dylan’s dynamic with Zac’s dynamic from their time filming season 2 of Netflix’s Down to Earth. (Dylan served as a producer on the series while Zac traveled around the world to learn more about food, culture, sustainable living practices and more.)
“I love doing stuff with my brother. There’s a really comforting thing being with family [and] doing this stuff. That’s always going to be high up there on what I love to do. But I think it’s good that we do things separately too,” Dylan noted. “Because I remember back in the day, we wanted to do a show together and I really wouldn’t have been prepared for that. He’s been in front of the camera his whole life and it’s been second nature for him. I was a shy little kid, so I’ve had to grow into that.”
He added that he would be thrilled to work with Zac on a project again in the future.
“It’ll be the right time now,” he said before offering an update on a potential third season of Down to Earth. “We’re still thinking. We’re in the thinking process. We really want to just take a step back and see what stories we want to tell, how we can do it and enjoy ourselves. We want to keep leveling it up.”
Meanwhile, Dylan is currently focused on bringing his own vision to life as he navigates being in front of the camera. “I’ve been behind the camera, I’ve been making the storylines and stuff and then being able to live it as well and not stay behind the scenes. It’s been a really nice change,” he told Us about creating his three-part YouTube series in honor of California Surfing Day. “So I think as long as I can kind of wear all those hats and still kind of craft the stories I want to tell [that would be great]. To be able to experience it firsthand, it’s really nice. It’s a good mix of both worlds.”
After documenting his own adventures on social media, Dylan set out on a road trip through California.
“We started in Santa Cruz then we went down to Ventura and then we ended in Oceanside. We wanted to just capture the culture of surfing [in] each of these places. I think what we found was Santa Cruz — their culture and history is so deeply rooted in that city and so old. Then going all the way to Oceanside, that is a relatively new scene and it was kind of a growing city.”
He continued: “And Corey, the person we’re talking with [in the series] is really pushing the next generation to surf. He wants all the kids to surf. And it is an amazing surf town. I think they’re kind of finding that identity. So it’s kind of cool to see just the different coasts and how they embrace surfing in their towns”
Dylan’s mission with the series is to share his love of surfing with viewers.
“I just want people to get out there and surf. And it’s not that I’m an amazing surfer, it’s that I think everyone should do it. We’re at this age where I hear over and over, ‘Oh, I wish I could surf. I wish I could get into surfing.’ And in the last 10 years we’ve had so many innovations. We have the Wavestorm Foamboards that are out and I really do think that everyone can get out there and surf,” he explained. “I think the more we push people to get out there and learn and try something new — it’s such a beautiful experience and can really change people’s lives. If someone’s watching this series, I hope they can pull inspiration and be like, ‘All right, this is the year where I want to actually try to surf.’ You don’t have to be the best, you just have to get out there and try it.”
In addition to his current project, Dylan also discussed his plans for the future. “I really want to do a road trip that’s kind of like the go-to road trip if you weren’t from California and wanted to see everything,” he concluded. “So [if] you wanted to see Joshua Tree, you wanted to see Lake Tahoe and Yosemite … I would make a loop that could be a two-week trip. That way anyone could get to see my favorite parts of California. So that’s something that’s been on my bucket list for a long time.”
The first episode of Dylan’s three-part YouTube series is available to watch now.
