Link Larkin is a spunky and charming, but sweet and kind-hearted character who plays a major role in hairspray as Tracy Turnblad's friend and love interest. He is a main member of The Corny Collins Show council.
He was portrayed by Zac Efron who also portrayed Troy Bolton in the High School Musical trilogy, a younger Mike O'Donnell in 17 Again, Matt Brody in Baywatch, and Phillip Carlyle in The Greatest Showman. He also voiced Ted Wiggins in The Lorax and Fred Jones in Scoob!.
Hairspray (2007)[]
Link is first seen as Amber Von Tussle's boyfriend. He first encounters Tracy Turnblad when he watches her dancing in the detention room with Seaweed J. Stubbs. Impressed by her moves, he invites her to attend the upcoming record hop hosted by Corny Collins himself, and unbeknownst to Link, Tracy becomes instantly smitten with him.
At the record hop, Link is performing as the lead singer, but Tracy steals the show, and impresses both him and Corny, much to Amber's horror.
As the movie progresses, Link's relationship with Tracy becomes more apparent, especially seen when he stands up for Tracy when she was falsely accused of drawing a caricature of their teacher with breasts, all part of Amber's plot to get her into trouble. When Tracy is sent to detention, Link tells the teacher to "kiss my ass", shocking Amber and the class, but leaving Tracy grateful.
Later on, Link joins Tracy and her friend Penny Pingleton at Motormouth Maybelle's house for a platter party. However, in one moment, his and Tracy's relationship becomes strained when Maybelle comes with the news that "Negro Day" has been cancelled, especially when Tracy proposes they stage a protest, but Link decides to stay on the show.
After the protest goes descends into chaos, Link becomes concerned for Tracy's safety, especially when he hears biased news reports about her on the radio. He stops by the Turnblad residence, feeling guilty that he should have joined her in the protest sooner, he is welcomed inside by Edna Turnblad, as they are all worried about Tracy's predicament.
Soon after, Link explores Tracy's room, and it was at this moment that he realizes that his heart doesn't belong with Amber and he is in love with Tracy, saying that he wants to kiss her.
The next day, Link reluctantly attends the Miss Teenage Hairspray 1962 pageant with Amber, but he couldn't stop worrying about Tracy. His worries are unfounded however, when Tracy gate-crashes the pageant, with her hair straightened and wearing a checkerboard dress.
As Tracy gets in Amber's face and steals the spotlight, Amber tries to get Link to comfort her. But Link decided that enough was enough, he dumps her, and joins Tracy in the dancing, leaving Amber distraught. The two then share a hug amidst the applause, Tracy then tells him that the audience loves him. But he denies this, and pulls Little Inez Stubbs onto the stage.
As the pair dance, Little Inez's dancing is an instant hit with the whole city of Baltimore, Maryland. She is subsequently crowned the winner of the pageant, thus integrating the Corny Collins Show.
In the end, Link and Tracy share a kiss as their friends and Tracy's parents watch proudly cheering on Tracy for making a difference and getting her love interest's heart.
Trivia[]
- He was portrayed by Michael St. Gerard in the 1988 Hairspray, and by Garrett Clayton in the 2016 version respectively.