Sumith Prasad
Zac Efron’s Chris Cole is nothing short of a handsome hunk in Netflix’s romantic comedy film ‘A Family Affair.’ Chris displays his physique in the movie with grace so that the viewers will be captivated by his build, as Nicole Kidman’s Brooke does in the movie. Despite the muscles Chris flex being an integral part of the character, Efron didn’t build them for the rom-com. His appearance in the film can be seen as a happy accident as the actor shot the movie with muscles he built to play another character in a totally different film. The production schedules of both these films give us an idea concerning the reality behind Efron’s body!
Zac Efron Built His Muscles For The Iron Claw
Zac Efron’s body we see in ‘A Family Affair’ is a result of his preparation for playing the retired professional wrestler Kevin Von Erich in A24’s biographical drama film ‘The Iron Claw.’ To play Kevin, who was heavily built when he was young, Efron dedicated eight months to bodybuilding. “[Body composition] was a glaring difference between Kevin and myself, and I knew that was going to be one of the most difficult aspects about portraying him was getting his physicality right,” he told ExtraTV. The actor gained 15 lbs in 2022, ahead of the production of ‘The Iron Claw,’ which began in October 2022.
Efron shot ‘A Family Affair’ between August and October 2022, concluding the filming right before the shoot of the biographical drama commenced. While shooting the romantic comedy, the actor was still preparing physically to transform into Kevin Von Erich. That’s the reason why Efron is featured in the romantic comedy all muscled up. Since Chris is an action star, the transformation doesn’t affect the portrayal of his character either. After gaining the muscles, the actor barely recognized himself. “In the best way possible, I did not look anything like me. It was jarring at first, but we kind of put it together piece by piece,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.
Efron had to eat consistently to ensure the growth of his muscles, even during the training for the role. “Zac was a machine. We’d be in the ring, and he would go, ‘Hold on, let me get this meal in,’ and he’d get a quick ready meal in, and then he’d come back in the ring. And then, an hour later, he’d be like, ‘Oh, let me throw down a protein shake,’” former WWE superstar and ‘The Iron Claw’ stunt coordinator Chavo Guerrero, Jr. told Variety. The result we see in the biographical drama is Efron’s hard work of several months.
“That necessity to be perfect — it became an obsession. It was a singular focus for months. […] Then I was able to incorporate old-school bodybuilding and Olympic lifting and really achieved that specific look of pro wrestlers, which was really hard,” he told Variety in another interview. ‘The Bear’ headliner Jeremy Allen White, who plays Kerry Von Erich in ‘The Iron Claw,’ was stunned by Efron’s transformation. “I joke about it, but it’s true — I didn’t want to stand close to him [Efron] while shooting the movie because it would make me look my size,” White told Variety.
White was even annoyed by Efron since the latter’s appearance overshadowed his physique, making him question, “What is this even for? Why do I even try?” One person who was definitely not annoyed was Joey King, Efron’s co-star in ‘A Family Affair’ who plays Zara. “I’m excited for people to see Zac’s abs. They’re great!” the actress joked to Entertainment Weekly while promoting the romantic comedy.
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