Featured Image Credit: Getty/The Iron Claw
Topics: Wrestling
Tom Jenkins
Zac Efron has opened up on how extreme body transformations have affected him mentally following his role as Kevin Von Erich in 'The Iron Claw'.
Efron, who is now 37 years old, has been one of the biggest names in Hollywood since he burst onto the scene as Troy Bolton in High School Musical in 2006.
Since then, Efron has often been cast in similar 'pretty boy' roles which have required him to maintain his attractive and athletic youthful look.
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The Hollywood star's more recent roles have required him to be in immaculate physical condition.
In a recent interview with Deadline Efron revealed his roles in Baywatch and The Iron Claw were particularly difficult mentally due to the extreme pressure to look a certain way.
“That Baywatch look, I don’t know if that’s really attainable. There’s just too little water in the skin like it’s fake, it looks CGI’d,” he explained.
“I started to develop insomnia and 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.
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“I’ve been driven to push my physicality to different inhuman proportions, and it’s taken a hold at times."
Efron then revealed his role as Von Erich was particularly challenging due to the trauma his character goes through during the film.
The film follows the famous Von Erich family through their wrestling careers, with Efron's character slowly losing his brothers one by one in unfortunate circumstances.
He continued: "I shed a skin somewhere in those seven months where Kevin was really at the wheel."
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“To be honest, I don’t think I’ll ever be the same after playing Kevin. It definitely changed me; I’m still coming back to Zac.”
The actor then explained his eating habits drastically changed following the conclusion of the film.
“I started intermittent fasting just after I stopped being vegan. My body wasn’t processing the vegetables in the right way so I decided to stop it and try something new," he concluded.