Following jaunts into horror (Firestarter), war comedies (The Greatest Beer Run Ever) and reality TV (Down to Earth), Disney vet Zac Efron turned heads by joining the pro wrestling biopic The Iron Claw. And those heads remained turned as the actor quickly bulked up to a massive size, and in a way that was safer than achieving his ripped Baywatch physique. It’s quite the impressive look, and the critically acclaimed biopic’s director told CinemaBlend that Efron gets the credit for that commitment.
For all that audiences would expect to see muscle-bound actors taking on all the roles of the legendary Von Erich family and other wrestlers who appear in the film, Efron’s mountainous frame is a standout even alongside co-star Jeremy Allen White. When I asked Sean Durkin about those muscles being something of a “money can’t buy happiness” metaphor, considering all the trauma and disappointments that Kevin Von Erich faced in life, the filmmaker told me bodybuilding was actually Efron’s touchstone for the role.
As seen in the video above, here’s how he explained it:
I mean, I think for him, it was his way into the dedication, the sacrifice, the physical 'putting the body first' sort of notion that Kevin would have lived by at times. And you know, that was very much his own training and his own plan. I really left that to each of the guys about how they were gonna approach their own physicality. I wasn't interested in trying to make them match perfectly or anything like that.
Those familiar with the haunting-yet-inspirational tale of the Von Erich family can probably understand why Kevin might have felt such an insatiable need to keep getting stronger, faster, better. Not only to stand out amidst both his family and other athletes brawling in the Texas-based WCCW promotion, but also because the clan’s patriarch Fritz Von Erich (real name Jack Adkisson) was a tough-as-nails sumbitch.
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But as far as the scripted biopic goes, Sean Durkin wasn’t interested in pressuring his actors to build up their bodies in such a way, even if he obviously didn’t stop Efron from doing so. Which in turn might have had slightly negative effects. Since just seeing the High School Musical vet’s torso would likely have killed any dreams I might have had of looking like a real wrestler. But that’s just me.
Durkin talked more about how he was more interested in matching up with the general aesthetics of the Von Erich siblings, as opposed to trying to cast actors who looked identical to the athletes. In his words:
I sort of had the silhouette of their stature, of David being the tallest and a few key elements. But other than that, I really left it to them to individually find the way they needed to find the way in physically, and really focus more on the wrestling. I really worked really closely with Chavo (Guerrero Jr.) to get them wrestling at a level that was going to be high enough for the film.
Rather than honing in on making sure the hairstyles or facial structures matched up perfectly with the real-life Von Erichs, Sean Durkin understandably put more focus on making sure the actors could pull off all the wrestling moves needed to look like they could have been world-class champions in the 1980s and 1990s.
Which is a big reason why the movie brought in Texas native and wrestling superstar Chavo Guerrero Jr. to serve as a consultant and trainer. (He also took on the role of The Sheik in the finished film.) Guerrero was a champion in just about every wrestling organization possible in the past three decades, and has also served as a consultant and fight coordinator on other projects such as NBC’s Young Rock and Netflix’s GLOW.
So while the legacy athlete may be responsible for making the on-screen siblings look so good with their in-ring moves, Zac Efron himself gets the credit for taking the initiative to make sure he stood out as the personification of “Everything’s bigger in Texas.” Here’s hoping the drama’s box office is just as impressive. Check out the trailer below!
The Iron Claw will leap into theaters from the top turnbuckle on Friday, December 22, and will eventually be available to stream with a Max subscription, thanks to A24’s exclusive deal with the service and HBO.
