Hollywood heartthrob Zac Efron insists he hates watching himself on screen as he notices 'every single flaw' in his performance.

'As far as watching myself on screen, I tend to, especially the first time around, pick out every single flaw, or things I could have and should have done better. I don't know why, but I tend to dwell on those things.

'I'm more of a cringer, at first. And then, when it's years down the road and it's out of the way, I can look back and appreciate it somehow,' contactmusic.com quoted him as saying.

The 22-year-old also admits that Leonardo DiCaprio is his inspiration as he tries to make the transition from teen idol to serious actor.

He said: 'I think Leo is a guy that's been through all this. I'm sure he knows how this felt, at one point or another, and he just continued. He persevered and stuck to his guns, and went through the best and the worst of times.

'He made cool movies, and some that didn't work so well. Regardless, he's doing it and he's survived and, just now, he's starting to make some of the coolest movies of his career.'