LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: During EW's photoshoot for his upcoming movie 'The Iron Claw', Zac Efron shocked fans with his almost unrecognizable visage.
In the biopic produced by A24, the 36-year-old actor portrays the iconic Fritz Von Erich, also known as Jack Adkisson, a professional wrestler who gained popularity in the 1960s.
'The Iron Claw', featuring Efron, Jeremy Allen White, and Harris Dickinson, will be released in theaters on December 22, 2023.
What did Efron have to say about his 'transformation'?
The ‘High School Musical’ star underwent significant physical training to portray a member of the Von Erich wrestling family for his upcoming movie 'The Iron Claw'.
Zac started intermittent fasting after giving up veganism because he felt that his body was not processing vegetables properly and found intermittent fasting to be more suitable for his body.
In an interview with Men’s Health, Efron explained, “I started intermittent fasting just after I stopped being vegan,”
“My body wasn’t processing the vegetables in the right way.”
“So, I decided to stop it and try something new,” he shared. “Intermittent fasting has been really helpful with that.”
However, his newly sculpted physique was not the only topic of discussion on the internet. Fans were surprised by a clip from the EW cover shoot that showed Efron's face looking very different from his 'High School Musical' days or even in his later movies like 'Bad Neighbors'.
In September 2022, Zac Efron gave an interview to People magazine, where he addressed rumors that he had undergone plastic surgery.
Some people had speculated that he had work done on his face, but Efron explained that he had actually broken his jaw in 2013. This injury caused his masseter muscles to enlarge, which gave his face a different appearance.
“They just got really,” Efron recounted, “really big.”
Fans of Zac Efron speculate about 'reconstructed' face
However, despite Zac’s admission of injury and explanation for his face getting big, some fans remained skeptical and continued to believe that he had undergone cosmetic procedures.
One Instagram user commented: "What happened to his face??"
Another user wrote: "Damn his face doesn’t even move now"
A fan in shock commented: "Omg Zach , what happened to You ?!"
Another user drew comparisons with Marvel's big bad 'Thanos' with her quippy comment: "Don’t let him get the last Infinity Stone".
However, fans of Efron were in the comments section, clarifying the actor's facial change: "Before everyone comments abt it Z said that his jaw shattered in an accident and he had to get it restructured which is supposedly why it looks different now".
One fan reminded everyone who's behind the news: "Y'all he shattered his jaw 10 years ago.."
Another user commented: "“Accident”. also, it’s really okay if he just got his face done. Everyone in Hollywood does it."
And, finally one die-hard Efron fan said it best: "I think he still look hot".