ZAC GOES BIG FOR NEW ROLE
ZAC EFRON is twice the man he was when he started out. Literally. The High School Musical actor has gone from hunk to hulk for his new role as retired pro-wrestler Kevin Von Erich.
Sporting a bowl haircut wig, bulging muscles and a deep tan, Zac was seen on the set of the new movie Iron Claw in Louisiana.
The movie revolves around the Von Erich wrestling dynasty, which dominated the scene for three generations, from the 60s to present day, but was beset by tragedy.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen the 35-year-old embark on an extreme physical reinvention for a role.
In a recent interview with Men’s Health magazine, Zac touched on the
THE TEEN IDOL ( 2006)
Fans got to know Zac as poster boy Troy Bolton in the High School Musical movies in the mid-2000s. They swooned over his lanky schoolboy good looks and charm. physical and mental ordeal he went through while getting into shape for the movie Baywatch in 2017.
“I started to develop insomnia,” he says. “I fell into a pretty bad depression for a long time.
“Something about that experience burned me out. I had a really hard time recentering.”
Ultimately the side effects were attributed to overtraining and powerful diuretics – pills that help the body get rid of salt and water.
The actor also sustained several physical injuries during his training, including tearing a knee ligament, dislocating a shoulder and shattering his jaw.
This time around he made sure to take a more injury-conscious approach to bulking up to play the wrestler.
BEACH BOD (2017)
The pressure to get into even better shape was on when he was cast as a lifeguard in the movie adaptation of the legendary TV series Baywatch. Zac has said it wasn’t an attainable look and he prefers having more fat on his body.
THE PUMPED PAPERBOY (2012)
Stepping into more adult roles, a muscly Zac steamed up the screen with co-star Nicole Kidman in the risqué movie Paperboy. This would be the first of many shirtless onscreen moments to follow.
THE DAD BOD ( 2020)
During the Covid-19 lockdown, the actor took time to relax and recover in Australia. Strict diets and training took a backseat while he was shooting the Netflix docuseries Down to Earth and his fuller body was dubbed a “dad bod”.