Zac Efron and Jeremy Allen White underwent massive transformations for their new movie, The Iron Claw.
The upcoming A24 film follows the Von Erich family, a real-life professional wrestling dynasty that made waves in the 1980s and forever changed the sport. Brothers Kevin, Kerry, David and Mike are portrayed by Efron, White, Harris Dickinson and Stanley Simons, respectively.
Written and directed by Sean Durkin, The Iron Claw explores the myth of the “Von Erich curse,” which stems from a series of tragic deaths within the family.
The first official trailer, released on Wednesday, October 11, gives fans a closer look into the brotherly dynamic between Efron and White — and their impressive, muscle-bound physiques.
“Ever since I was a child, people said my family was cursed,” Efron says in the trailer as he warms up in the wrestling ring. “Mom tried to protect us with God. Pop tried to protect us with wrestling. He said if we were the toughest, the strongest, nothing could ever hurt us. I believed him. We all did.”
The Iron Claw trailer also highlights the romance between Kevin Von Erich and his wife, Pam Adkisson, played by Pam & Tommy actor Lily James.
On the red carpet at the BAFTA Film Awards in February, James said that Efron has “really transformed” for the role and admitted that his “incredibly muscle-y” physique was a bit “distracting.”
Efron is noticeably more buff in The Iron Claw, as is White, who recently starred in season 2 of Hulu’s The Bear. In November 2022, White told GQ that he was attempting to put on 40 pounds of muscle for the role and that Efron had sent him a note of encouragement which read: “Get training, eat, keep doing what you’re doing, stay hard.”
When it came to Efron’s own process of bulking up, White said his costar made it look easy. “Zac’s a maniac,” the actor said in a May 2023 interview with Esquire. “He’s so focused and knowledgeable on training, diet, all that. In terms of a physical transformation, I think he kind of blew us all out of the water. He looks really amazing in this thing.”
Fans first got a sneak peek of Efron and White as the Erich brothers in October 2022 when the actors were photographed on the set of the film. Their ‘80s-style hair cuts and large muscles stirred up a great deal of buzz about the jaw-dropping transformations.
The Iron Claw hits theaters nationwide on December 22.
