Jeremy Allen reacts to Zac Efron’s ‘Iron Claw’ transformation
Jeremy Allen White was as shocked as the rest of the world when he saw Costar Zac Efron‘s physical transformation for their film The Iron Claw.
White, 32, shared his initial reaction to Efron’s muscular physique at the Los Angeles premiere of the A24 sports drama.
“He’s so annoying,” White joked as he spoke during the screening on Monday, December 11 Variety. “I had been training for months, lifting, doing this and that and eating more and I showed up and I saw him and I was like, ‘What is this even for?’ Why am I even trying?’”
The star also shared that Efron, 36, acted as the “captain of the ship” on set. “He was a great motivator with his physical preparation, all the preparation he did emotionally and mentally,” White said. “I look up to that man.”
Efron’s dramatic transformation to play professional wrestling champion Kevin von Erich made headlines when set photos surfaced in October 2022. In the film, which chronicles the rise and fall of Von Erich’s wrestling dynasty, White plays Kevin’s brother Kerry Von Erich, while Harris Dickinson stars as Kevin and Kerry’s brother David Von Erich.
“It was shocking at every point of the transformation,” Efron said Entertainment tonight last month. “I remember Harris and I went without hair and makeup and it was the first time we had to wear the full package, and we were both like, ‘What the hell are we doing here, man? How did we get into this?’”
Efron added that the end result looked “really good” and praised the hair and makeup teams for helping him transform into the Von Erich brothers. Efron also gave a shout-out to the real Kevin, now 66, who he said “really motivated me to get in shape for this movie.”
“The physicality he brought to the ring every day was truly unique. It changed wrestling,” Efron continued. “I knew this was going to be the hardest part [thing] for me to master and be right. So I put everything I had into it.”
Celebrity weight loss and transformations: before and after photos
Shocking, indeed! Some celebrities look for extreme methods to shed pounds, while others transform using healthier methods. From Rosie O’Donnell and Jordin Sparks’ weight loss of 50 pounds respectively to Biggest Loser winner Rachel Frederickson’s whopping 155 lighter frame, see before and after photos of celebrities’ weight loss transformations.
The High school musical alum also underwent a drastic physical transformation in 2017 Baywatch and later revealed that he struggled with his intense diet and exercise for the role.
“I started developing insomnia and I went into quite a severe depression for a long time,” he said Men’s health in October 2022. “Something about that experience burned me out. I found it very difficult to renew.”
“That Baywatch Look, I don’t know if that’s really feasible,” he admitted. “There is simply too little water in the skin. It’s fake. It looks CGI-like. And that required Lasix, powerful diuretics. So I don’t have to do that.”
The Iron Claw will be in cinemas from Friday 22 December.