Zac Efron Says Iron Claw Costars Pranked Him by Singing High School Musical Songs on Set: ‘Fun Days’

Zac Efron appreciates a good laugh, even when the joke is on him.

During the screening and Q&A on Sunday for Iron Claw at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills, the actor revealed that he took some of the jokes on set without a problem.

When actor Stanley Simons said he was “singing something High school musical song” to poke fun at Efron’s 2006 success. During a break, the star admitted it was one of his “most fun days.”

“Damn, Stanley! I remember it being one of the most fun days we’ve had,” Efron, 36, told PEOPLE and other audience members at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

“Filming a house party could go one way or another. It’s a lot of people stuck in one room for days, it can be a little scary. But this was just electrifying. It felt like a high school party.”

Stanley Simons (left), Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White and Harris Dickinson in Dallas, Texas on November 8, 2023.

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Zac Efron jokes that his ego was damaged during filming Iron Claw in Speedo: ‘This is magical mike!’

On Sunday, Simons told PEOPLE how memorable it was to work with someone he looked up to: “I was singing [some of ‘Breaking Free’] Zacu when I was playing my music scene. It’s definitely a life experience I’ll never forget.”

“When I sang the song, he said, ‘Oh, you don’t hit, you don’t hit.’ I said, ‘Oh,’ and I did it again. And I think I did a good job!” he added.

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Corbin Bleu (left), Monique Coleman, Zac Efron, Vanessa Anne Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale and Lucas Grabeel in ‘High School Musical’.

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Jeremy Allen White Says Zac Efron ‘Really Looks Amazing’ In ‘The Iron Claw’

“We got really close and got to hang out,” Simons said of their time working on the sports biopic. “When we got on set, it was natural. They were really welcoming, not just my brothers, but all the crew. It was a little nerve-wracking, but they were just very open.”

Iron Claw focuses on the true story of the Von Erich brothers, who made history in the world of professional wrestling in the early 1980s. Despite being one of the most famous sports dynasties, they faced a series of personal tragedies that came to be known as the “Von Erich Curse” due to the tragic deaths of five family members between 1959 and 1993.

Getting serious about actually working in a wrestling movie, Efron noted writer/director Sean Durkin’s impeccable attention to detail and knowledge of even “the most obscure wrestlers.”

“And the detail in which he remembered things from the games on his TV at home was amazing,” Efron continued. “So it meant a lot to him to be able to recall these very specific moments. And where it really came into play, I think a lot of it was with the physicality in the ring.”

Zac Efron at the premiere of ‘The Iron Claw’ in Dallas, Texas on November 8, 2023.

Stewart Cook/Getty Images

Jeremy Allen White shared similar appreciation for Durkin’s dedication at Sunday’s screening.

“Our wardrobe department was so specific. Hair and makeup. We had a really great team that Sean put together to make sure everything was as precise and detailed as possible.” Bear said the star.

“Zac is a maniac,” White said Esquire his costar in May. “He’s so focused and knowledgeable about training, nutrition, all of that. In terms of physical transformation, I think he blew us all out of the water. She looks really amazing in this thing.”

Iron Claw it’s in theaters on December 22.

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