Zac Efron is extremely buff in the first look photo he released of himself playing WWE wrestler Kevin von Erich in A24’s wrestling biographical movie The Iron Claw.
“First Look at my latest project Iron Claw! Can’t wait to show you more… let’s go,” Efron wrote in the caption of his Instagram post revealing the first-look photo, which shows him kicking his opponent in mid-air during a wrestling match. His opponent staggers backward while Efron, in a teal blue singlet, flies through the air.
“Introducing The Golden Warrior himself. Zac Efron is Kevin Von Erich in #TheIronClaw,” A24 wrote in a tweet along with the photo.
Efron made waves when he got super bulked up for his role as Matt Brody in Baywatch (2017), and a leaked set photo in which he’s sporting a very Lord Farquaad-style haircut recently went viral.
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Now, it seems Efron is pushing himself to the limit physically once again to play a wildly buff Kevin Von Erich.
Directed by Sean Durkin (Martha Marcy May Marlene, Dead Ringers), The Iron Claw follows the true story of the Von Erichs, a dynasty of wrestlers who made a serious impact on the sport. Triangle of Sadness star Harris Dickinson plays Efron’s on-screen brother as David Von Erich; The Bear star Jeremy Allen White plays Kerry Von Erich; Stanley Simons (Angelfish, Superior) plays Mike Von Erich, and Holt McCallany (Fight Club, Mindhunter) plays the brothers’ father, Fritz Von Erich.
The cast of The Iron Claw also includes Lily James (Pam & Tommy) and Maura Tierney (The Report, Beautiful Boy).
The real Kevin Von Erich is pretty impressed by Efron’s physical transformation to play him in the movie.
“I saw a picture of the guy, he looked great. I don’t think I ever looked that good… I just saw this picture and he looks really good and muscular… he must really be working out hard,” Von Erich told TMZ. “From the picture that they showed me at first, and the picture I saw the other day, he must really be working hard… My daughters love him, and so they think he’s the right guy to do it.”
See the first-look image above and in the tweet below.
Introducing The Golden Warrior himself. Zac Efron is Kevin Von Erich in #TheIronClaw pic.twitter.com/GliSBCePO5
— A24 (@A24) November 7, 2022
Main Image: Zac Efron in The Iron Claw courtesy of A24/Twitter.