Zac Efron’s appearance on the “Today” show to promote his new movie “The Iron Claw” stirred attention due to him wearing sunglasses indoors, which he explained was due to an eye infection.
The movie revolves around the Von Erich brothers and Efron’s role as Kevin Von Erich.
In preparation for the film, Efron underwent rigorous physical training, which he found both challenging and transformative. (Trending: First Moon Mission In 50 Years Blasts Off)
Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, and Stanley Simons from @A24’s ‘The Iron Claw’ @ironclawmovie open up to @craigmelvin about getting familiar with the Von Erich brothers’ story, the physical and emotional transformations for their roles, and more. pic.twitter.com/jh11zCwnC8
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) December 20, 2023
“Zac Efron is a legitimate, bona fide Hollywood superstar, but that is not the reason he is in shades right now,” host Craig Melvin said.
“No, I’m sorry, man. I feel weird being in shades,” Efron said.
“I just have a bit of an eye infection. But I really wanted to be here.”
“It’s such a good movie, and I want to come see you guys and tell everyone about it.”
“Omg Zac wearing shades inside is not normal! He’s not well. He’s having eye problems for sure,” a fan wrote on X.
“Zac Efron wearing these sunglasses indoors isn’t gonna dispel any of the rumors or worry going on about him #NBCToday,” another wrote.
He expressed the difficulty of leaving the character behind, stating that the experience changed him.
Efron also drew parallels between dancing and wrestling, highlighting the choreographed nature of both and the physical demands of wrestling.
He described the wrestling scenes as physically demanding but ultimately empowering.
“Nothing could prepare me for the wrestling. The physical preparation and the training, that’s something that I’ve always found very interesting. I’ve always admired people’s transformations, in particular for movie roles. I just find that dedication fascinating and special when I see it,” Efron said.
“So in training for this, I got to train essentially for my championship, my belt match. It all came down to, how precise is my training? How dedicated am I to this? How hard can I push?”
“I think I shed a skin somewhere in those seven months where Kevin was really at the wheel,” he said.
“It’s fun to be able to give your absolute all, to leave it all on the field for a project and a character, in honor of someone,” he said.
“It’s one thing when you’re in preparation for the role and becoming this person — there’s sort of a clear roadmap to follow, and it’s fun to get scientific and specific in those different routines and training modalities. That part’s fascinating, but when it’s over, I wish I could say that I am great at shedding the skin, or shedding it all very easily, that I can sort of just snap back to it,” he said.
“But 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,” he said.
“Dancing and wrestling are surprisingly similar. There’s a choreographed element to both, and the more you do it, the better you get.”
“Also, just the sense of moving with a partner: Sometimes you lead, and sometimes you’re holding on to the other guy. The learning curve for wrestling is you just go for it. For stuff like climbing up on the ropes and jumping off, you’ve just got to nut up and go for it. There’s no real practicing,” he said.
“I got pretty beat up, but you feel like a warrior. It’s kind of fun.”
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