Jeremy Allen White could play Texas Tornado Iron Clawbut in real life, he wasn’t sure if he could match up physically to the iconic wrestler — especially alongside his best mate, Zac Efron.
The film, written and directed by Sean Durkin, tells the story of the Von Erich family who made wrestling history in the 1960s, although tragedy followed, leaving Kevin (Efron) as the only son of six children to survive the age of 34. .
White, 32, plays the late Kerry Von Erich, while Harris Dickinson and Stanley Simons play David and Mike Von Erich, respectively.
Zac Efron jokes that his ego was damaged during filming Iron Claw in Speedo: ‘This is magical mike!’
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Efron, 36, and White both bulked up for the film, sharing a Q&A in New York at the film’s East Coast premiere, but it was Efron’s physique that wowed crowds in teasers and photos.
“Yes, I didn’t want to stand near Zac. I saw him and I said, ‘Can Harris [Dickinson] stand next to him?’” White joked at the premiere. “No, I mean, Zac looked so amazing and I mean, yeah, just being around him was a motivation for me to eat more, train more.”
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Bear star added that he did not believe it would be “physically possible” for him to transform into Kerry, given his smaller frame.
“I knew I couldn’t get as big as Kerry. I just don’t think it was physically possible for me,” White said. “I’m a pretty little boy, but I tried. I don’t think that’s possible for any human on the planet.”
He went on to say that even legendary wrestlers like Arnold Schwarzenegger were intimidated by a wrestler’s body, meaning he didn’t stand much of a chance.
“There’s a story I love about Schwarzenegger,” White said. “Arnold Schwarzenegger and Kerry were in the same room once, and Kerry took his shirt off, and Arnold Schwarzenegger himself was too nervous to take his shirt off around Kerry. That’s how big this man was. We all tried.”
Says Zac Efron Iron Claw Costars played pranks on him by singing High school musical Songs on the recording: ‘Fun Days’
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Eric Chakeen/A24
Efron joked that although he “isn’t [writer/director] Sean’s personal training” which helped him and the rest of the cast gain muscle, put in the work to try to mimic the bodies of wrestlers by constantly “pumping iron” between takes and during breaks.
To rehearse as authentically as possible, the production shipped in real ’80s gear, and within two weeks, Efron, White and Dickinson were filming “full matches” in front of real crowds, Durkin said.
Efron worked it out for his role, Baywatch star watched videos of Kevin’s performance in the ring, trying to emulate his choreography and “unique” physicality.
“I knew going into it, physically connecting with Kevin or being able to get into that shape, to do that, you have to become kind of obsessed. It takes over your life,” Efron said. “All you do is eat, sleep, train and wrestle. That’s what they did in real life. [In] preparing for this movie, we all started hanging out in the ring, but really our lives outside of it were non-existent, and that really helped me understand Kevin’s mindset.”
Iron Claw it’s in theaters on December 22.
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Source: HIS Education