After forays into horror (Firestarter), war comedies (The Greatest Beer Run Ever) and reality shows (Down to Earth), Disney veteran Zac Efron turned heads by joining the professional wrestling biopic The Iron Claw. And those heads remained turned as the actor temporarily grew to a large size, and in a safer way than achieving his ripped body from Baywatch. It’s a pretty impressive look, and the director of the critically acclaimed biopic told CinemaBlend that Efron deserves credit for the commitment.
For all that audiences expected to see muscular actors take on all the roles of the mythical Von Erich family and other wrestlers featured in the film, Efron’s mountainous figure stands out even alongside his co-star Jeremy Allen White. When I asked Sean Durkin, if those muscles were a metaphor for “money doesn’t buy happiness,” given all the trauma and sadness Kevin Von Erich has faced in life, the filmmaker told me that strength education was truly Efron’s touchstone for the role.
As noted in the video above, here’s how he explained it:
I mean, I think for him, it was his path to dedication, sacrifice, the kind of “put the frame first” physical insight that Kevin would have experienced at times. And you know, that was largely his own upbringing and his own plan. In fact, I left it up to each person how they were going to technique his own physique. He wasn’t interested in looking to fit in perfectly or anything like that.
Those familiar with the haunting yet inspiring history of the Von Erich family can probably understand why Kevin might have felt such an insatiable desire to keep getting stronger, faster, and better. Not only because he stands out among his circle of family members and the other athletes wrestling in the Texas-based WCCW promotion, but also because the patriarch of the extended family, Fritz Von Erich (really called Jack Adkisson), is a tough guy.
But when it came to the scripted biopic, Sean Durkin wasn’t interested in pressuring his actors to build their bodies this way, although he evidently didn’t stop Efron from doing so. This may have had negative effects. Seeing the torso of the vet from High School Musical would probably have ended all my dreams of hunting like a real fighter. But I am so I.
Durkin further explained that he was more interested in matching the overall aesthetic of the Von Erich brothers, rather than looking for actors who were equal to the athletes. In his words:
In a way he had a silhouette of his stature, with David being the tallest and some key features. But other than that, I let them separately locate the path they needed to get physically located and focus more on wrestling. I worked a lot with Chavo (Guerrero Jr. ) to get them to fight at a high enough point for the movie.
Rather than making sure that the hairstyles or facial structures perfectly matched the real Von Erichs, Sean Durkin naturally focused more on making sure that the actors could perform all the fighting moves to make it look like they had simply been global. champions in the 1980s and 1990s.
That’s one of the main reasons the film brought in Texas wrestling superstar and local Chavo Guerrero Jr. to serve as a manager and trainer (he also took on the role of the sheikh in the finished film). Guerrero has been a champion in virtually every single wrestling organization imaginable for the past three decades, and has also served as a rep and combat coordinator on other projects such as NBC’s Young. Rock and Netflix’s GLOW.
So while the veteran athlete would possibly be blamed for his on-screen brothers’ good looks with his in-ring moves, Zac Efron himself deserves credit for taking the lead in making sure he stands out as the embodiment of “Everything’s More. ” big in Texas. “”Hopefully, the drama box set is just as impressive. Check out the trailer below!
The Iron Claw will hit theaters from the most sensible tensor 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.
Nick is a local Cajun and associate editor, specializing in television and reporting. His humble history with CinemaBlend began in the pre-streaming era, circa 2009, as an independent DVD critic and TV recapper. Nick moved to the small screen to cover more and more TV news and interviews, eventually picking up the current segment and covering topics like Yellowstone, The Walking Dead, and horror. Born in Louisiana and lately living in Texas, Who Dat Nation on the U. S. team all day, all night, Nick spent several years in the hospitality industry and also worked as a 911 operator. If you’ve ever listened to his music or read his comics/short stories, you have his sympathy.
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