Zac Efron and Kevin Von Erich.Photo:Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty; Stewart Cook/Getty
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty; Stewart Cook/Getty
Zac Efronknew he needed to get his role inThe Iron Clawright.
At a Q&A following the movie’s New York City premiere on Monday, Efron — who plays the real-life former professional wrestlerKevin Von Erichin the new A24 movie — said that knowing Von Erich, 66, would see the movie encouraged him to work hard fine-tuning his performance (and muscles) for the role.
“Playing somebody who’s real and still alive adds an extra layer of complexity, I think,” Efron, 36, said during the question-and-answer session. “As an actor, it’s a fine line. You want to do everything you can to make sure it’s an honest portrayal of the character, without going so hard that it’s an impersonation. And for this movie, just knowing that he was going to be out there and would ultimately see it, I didn’t know if I was going to do a good job or not.”
“It was very motivating. It was incredibly motivating,” he continued. “That would keep me going in the gym and in the ring, just wanting to make him proud.”
Efron also said that he finally got a chance to meet Von Erich at thefilm’s world premierein Dallas last Wednesday.
Zac Efron in ‘The Iron Claw’.a24
“I got at least an hour and a half of just one-on-one time, and a lot of hugs,” Efron shared on Monday. “And we had a really great conversation just hearing what came across to him in the film. It just meant the world, man. It was so cool, he was so proud of all of us. It was a huge honor for me.”
(L-R) Harris Dickinson, Zac Efron, Stanley Simons, Jeremy Allen White in ‘The Iron Claw’.Eric Chakeen
Eric Chakeen
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Efron noticeably bulked up to film the movie, with fans noticing hismuscly physiquein photos taken from the film’s set in October 2022. WhileThe Bearstar White, 32, also got in shape for his role, he joked during Monday’s Q&A that he could not compare to the physical work Efron put in.
Zac Efron and Kevin Von Erich.Rodin Eckenroth/Getty, Bob Levey/WireImage
“Yeah, I didn’t want to stand near Zac. I saw him and I went, ‘Can Harris [Dickinson] stand next to him?'” White joked. “No, I mean, Zac looked so amazing and I think, yeah, just being around him was a motivator for me to eat more, train more.”
“I knew I couldn’t get as big as Kerry," White added. “I just don’t think it was physically possible for me. I’m a pretty little guy, but I tried. I don’t think it’s possible for any human on the planet.”
The Iron Clawreleases in theaters on Dec. 22.
source: people.com
