Soon to appear in the wrestling film “The Iron Claw” with Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, the star of “The Bear”, spoke about his training and his weight gain which he did not really have appreciated.
It’s not just Zac Efron who gained muscle (and put on a wig) for The Iron Claw! His co-star Jeremy Allen White, who won a Golden Globe for best actor in a TV comedy series for The Bear in 2022, also trained extensively to play wrestler Kerry Von Erich, as shown in photos published by the site TMZ.
Inspired by a true story, Sean Durkin’s feature film tells the story of a family of American professional wrestlers who, after experiencing glory between 1960 and 1980, experienced a series of tragedies.
Zac Efron and Jeremy Allen White play the legendary wrestlers Kevin and Kerry Von Erich respectively, Harris Dickinson (The King’s man and Without Filter, Palme d’Or at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival) plays David Von Erich, Stanley Simons is Mike, the youngest brother, while Holt McCallany (Mindhunter) is the father of the siblings. Lily James plays their sister and Maura Tierney is the mother.
In an interview with the American magazine GQ, Jeremy Allen White revealed he gained 18 kilos (40 pounds) of muscle for the role. The new Hollywood darling also said that after her casting name was announced, Zac Efron sent her a congratulatory letter with the following advice: “Train, eat, keep exercising, stay strong“.
“I never stopped eating.”
To bring the famous wrestler Kerry Von Erich back to life on screen, Jeremy Allen White trained a lot. He trained as a professional wrestler and ate a lot.
A preparation that he did not particularly like. The actor tells the magazine Esquire : “I never stopped eating. In the morning I ate waffles with almond butter. During the day, I ate turkey and avocado. It’s really disgusting.
I had to consume as much as possible and, to be honest, I didn’t feel very good. I also worked out a lot, but trying to get that big is no way to live.“
Jeremy Allen White also expressed his admiration for Zac Efron who impressed the team. “Zac is a maniac. He is so focused and knowledgeable about training, diet and everything else. In terms of his physical transformation, I think he blew us all away. He is truly magnificent in this film.“
A24 Zac Efron
A tragic story
The actors all had to undergo drastic training in order to be credible as wrestlers. The Von Erich family, whose tragic story inspired director Sean Durkin’s film, was a wrestling dynasty that had a tremendous impact on the sport from the 1960s to the present day.
World heavyweight champion and 5-time American heavyweight tag team champion, alongside his brothers, Kevin Von Erich (Zac Efron) was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009.
He is the only member of his family still alive after the death of his father Fritz in 1997 and his brothers. David died in 1984 from acute enteritis and Mike, Chris and Kerry all committed suicide.
The Iron Claw will be released in French theaters on December 27.