Zac Efron, Claire Danes and "Orson Welles"

Legendary actor Orson Welles made his mark on Hollywood more than 60 years ago. Now, Claire Danes and Zac Efron star in the new film "Me and Orson Welles," which imagines what the actor was really like.

Both actors spoke with "Early Show" co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez Monday.

Rodriguez told Efron the film's director, Richard Linklater, paid him a compliment, saying, "His gift is his confidence in his own abilities. It's wonderful to work with someone who is not conflicted."

Yet, despite that confidence, Efron says it was still intimidating to work with Danes.

"Well, look at her. She's Claire Danes!" he said. "She's absolutely beautiful, and I was a huge fan of her work. I didn't want to screw this up. I didn't want to mess up for Claire. I wanted to be good for her."

That fear, Danes says, was totally unfounded.

"It was a great experience all around," she said. "He was incredible, really."

The film follows Welles during his early days in theater -- before he became a film giant -- and Danes plays his sometimes girlfriend.

"She's his 'Girl Friday,' his secretary," Danes explained. "He's got a way with the ladies. But it's never serious, whatever happens between them."

Efron plays a struggling actor Welles discovers on the street, who talks his way into a small part in Welles' rendition of "Julius Caesar," which Efron says is one of the biggest and most well-known Shakespearian productions in North America ever.

In one scene in the movie, Danes' character asks Efron's what he loves. "Plays. Movies. Songs. Lyrics. Novels. Radio. I don't know. A lot of different things," his character responded.

The lines rang true for Efron off-screen, as well. "Sounds exactly like me in real life, all those lines" he said. "That's how I feel."

"Are you that passionate about your career?" Rodriguez asked.

"Absolutely. I'd like to think so. I love what I do," he responded.

Efron also stressed the importance of balance between his acting career and his life off-screen. "I've been pretty good at maintaining both at this point," he said.

Rodriguez asked Danes, who's been acting longer than her co-star, if she had any advice for him. "I'm learning so much from him! I'm the one who needs the advice," she responded. "Zac's been at this a really long time as well. So, yeah, no advice from me."

But, she went on to share how she kept her own life in balance. "I started also at a very young age and I took a lot of time off -- I went to college and really defined myself in that safe environment outside of the business. And I think that was really good for me," she said. "And I grew up in New York, I live here still. Most of my friends have been my friends since I was like, 3, so I have that foundation and that security. So I'm very lucky."

Rodriguez also congratulated the actress her marriage, to fellow actor Hugh Dancy, in September.

While she recommends married life, saying, "It's great, I'm very happy," it's not something Efron is planning for right now. When asked if marriage was on the table, he answered, "No, not quite yet."