Zac Efron Jokes He Felt Like a Stripper in 'The Iron Claw' Fight Scenes

Zac Efron plays pro fighter Kevin Von Erich in The Iron Claw, but as he was filming his scenes in the ring, his skimpy wrestling costume made him feel more like he was performing in Magic Mike than in an A24 drama about a real-life wrestling dynasty.

Reflecting on the "biggest injury" he sustained while making the movie at a recent press event, Efron admitted it was hardest on his "ego" when he first donned his revealing outfit.

"It was the very first time that I had to enter the Sportatorium in Kevin's full costume, which was just, frankly, a Speedo, or trunks," he said. "And everybody was out there, there was this huge crowd and the lights were on. I just remember in that moment thinking, how the hell did I end up here? What is going on?"

"This is Magic Mike," he remembers thinking as the crowd cheered for him in his shiny shorts. "In that moment I was frozen in time just going: This is it. This is the end. How did you get here? What choices have you made?"

Sean Durkin, the film's writer and director, jokingly added that the costuming in the movie helps to accentuate the hard work that Efron and his co-stars, Jeremy Allen White and Harris Dickinson, put into sculpting their wrestlers' physiques. "We just wanted to celebrate you guys' beautiful thighs," he said.

Efron has previously spoken about how difficult he has found it in the past to achieve such a shredded, muscular body for roles, telling Men's Health in 2022 that he felt "burned out" and "depressed" after getting yoked for a movie. "That Baywatch look, I don’t know if that’s really attainable," he said.

Jeremy Allen White has also encountered challenges while getting in fighting shape for The Iron Claw, telling Esquire that "eating all the time" to support his gains was "gross" and "no way to live." He did, however, praise Efron's performance and realistic wrestler's body. "He's so focused and knowledgeable on training, diet, all that," he said." 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."

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