Zac Efron reveals whether he’s ready to have kids after playing a dad in his new movie

Zac Efron just played a father for the first time in a movie — but does that mean he’s ready to be a dad in real life?

During a recent visit to the “Ellen DeGeneres Show,” Efron, 34, talked about what it was like playing an on-screen dad for the first time in his upcoming movie, "Firestarter," an adaptation of a 1980 sci-fi thriller novel by Stephen King.

In the film, Efron plays a father whose daughter, Charlie, is being chased by the government because of her special powers.

Efron opened up about what it was like working with his 12-year-old co-star, Ryan Kiera Armstrong.

“All of a sudden I had this daughter in front of me. We had a pretty heavy dad-daughter scene right off the bat, and I realized I was drastically underprepared for this part,” he said with a laugh. “I didn’t know what I was doing. I thought it would just kind of click, but no, that’s not really the case!”

“Luckily, Ryan is just so sweet, she’s just the coolest, and after two days, we had the best bond, so that part got really easy,” he added.

DeGeneres asked the "Baywatch" star if this experience made him want to have kids.

“You know what, I think that was a healthy dose to put me off of it for as long as necessary,” he responded.

“I have a little bit more growing to do, probably. I don’t know, I don’t know what to say now,” he joked, looking flustered.

Efron moved on from that moment in the hot seat with some sweet words for parents in general.

“I have a healthy respect for parents. I’m very grateful for them all. I love you so much, Mom,” he said, waving to his mother in the audience.