Wrestler Kevin Von Erich Reacts to Zac Efron's 'Iron Claw' Portrayal of Him: 'He Looks Really Good'

Mar. 15, 2025

Zac Efron; Kevin Von Erich in 2009.Photo: Rodin Eckenroth/Getty, Bob Levey/WireImage

Former pro wrestler Kevin Von Erich is excited forZac Efron’s portrayal of him inA24’s upcoming filmThe Iron Claw.

On Monday, Von Erich, who in 2009 was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a member of the Von Erich wrestling family,told TMZ in a video interview that Efron “looked great"in photos from the upcoming film’s set that show the actor’s muscly physique.

“It’s gonna be a hard job, I think, it’s a lot of information and a lot of time and so they’ve got some tough work ahead of them, but I saw of a picture of the guy and he looked great,” the former wrestler told the outlet. “I don’t think I ever looked that good, so I think they’re going to do great. I’ll bet they do.”

Von Erich told TMZ that while he has spoken with the film’s director, Sean Durkin, he has not been in touch with 35-year-old Efron about the role.

“But as far as [Efron] is concerned, I just saw this picture and he looks really good and muscular,” he said of the actor, adding that Efron “must really be working out hard.”

“I’ll tell ya, for the picture that they showed me at first and the picture they showed me the other day he must really be working out hard because you’re right, he does have a good body,” Von Erich said in the interview.

Brendon Thorne/Getty

“Excited about this new project on our family and it really looks like @zacefron is taking this role seriously,” the pair wrote in the post’s caption. “Very pumped to watch #TheIronClaw.”

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Last Monday, Efron was photographed on the Louisiana set ofThe Iron Clawsporting a noteworthy new hairdo ashe stood shirtlesswith a towel around his waist while checking his phone.

The upcoming A24 movie is based on a true story and tracks the “rise and fall of the Von Erich family, a dynasty of wrestlers who made a huge impact on the sport from the 1960s to the present day,” according to the studio.

Rodin Eckenroth/Getty, David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for BFI, Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty

Efron recently toldMen’s Healthabout bulking up for the part, explaining that he had adifferent approach this time thanthe training he did for the 2017 movieBaywatch. He said he “fell into a pretty bad depression, for a long time” after recovering from the rigorous training for that project.

“ThatBaywatchlook, I don’t know if that’s really attainable,” he said. “There’s just too little water in the skin. Like, it’s fake; it looks CGI’d. And that required Lasix, powerful diuretics, to achieve. So I don’t need to do that. I much prefer to have an extra, you know, 2 to 3 percent body fat.”

A24 has not yet announced whenThe Iron Clawis expected to release in theaters.

source: people.com