Thats really cool and I can see why.

Zac Efron has been named one of the world’s most influential people by a U.S. magazine – and the teen idol is in good company alongside U.S. President Barack Obama, George Clooney, Bono and Oprah Winfrey.

Efron, who shot to fame in Disney’s High School Musical franchise, has made his first entry in Time magazine’s annual list of the planet’s top 100 influential figures.

And Efron’s Me And Orson Welles co-star Claire Danes is adamant the 21 year old is worthy of the honour, comparing him to Leonardo DiCaprio.

Danes, who starred with DiCaprio in Romeo + Juliet, tells the magazine: “(Working with Zac) I couldn’t help being reminded of the time I had spent with another gifted idol, Leonardo DiCaprio, about a decade before. I saw the simmering ardour of the teenage masses turn into unbridled hysteria after Titanic was released. But this was even more intense. The difference, I realised, was that Zac is not only an actor but also a musician, a bona fide song-and-dance man. We ladies are defenceless against such a combination.

“But I suppose we all know that Zac is a song-and-dance man. What is less known – and what I had the privilege of learning firsthand – is that he is a performer capable of great subtlety and vulnerability. It seems Zac is not only an entertainer but also an artist. He is going to make us swoon for many years to come.”

Other stars on the list include rapper M.I.A., actors Brad Pitt and Tom Hanks, sports star Tiger Woods as well as actresses Kate Winslet and Tina Fey.