I am writing to you live from the afterlife. And by that I mean life after watching the first trailer for The Iron Claw.
In case you have no idea what the fresh hell I’m talking about, The Iron Claw is an upcoming A24 movie based on the true story of the Von Erichs, a family of wrestlers who underwent a series of tragedies that cut their careers, and some of their lives, short. Oh, and did I mention that it stars the one and only Zac Efron!!??
Yes, the golden boy of himbo cinema is back in the spotlight in a big way baby, inching towards awards season with this meaty role. Will it be the movie that finally gets people to pay attention to more than just his muscles? Or will he be overshadowed by It Kid of the moment Jeremy Allen White (you know, of The Bear)?
I am hoping for the former, but I am definitely biased, considering I have loved Zac since I first watched High School Musical while still in high school. Hell, I even met him while attending the Toronto premiere of Hairspray (see: the photographic evidence below — sorry to my friend behind the heart eyes, but it had to be shared). And when someone starts talking shit about his body or his body of work, I am the first person to defend his honour by bringing up his outrageously underrated performances in The Paperboy (a camp masterpiece, imho) and The Beach Bum (seriously, watch it if you haven’t already).
There was a time when it seemed like Zac wanted to shy away from his himbo heritage, trying to go serious in stinkers like Me and Orson Welles and Charlie St. Cloud after making it big as a singing jock in the HSM series. But over the years, I think he has figured out how to harness his strengths, as evidenced by his forays into comedy (the Neighbors series, Baywatch) and the earnestness he displays in Netflix docuseries Down to Earth with Zac Efron. And I cannot stress how truly perfect it is that he voiced original himbo hero Fred Jones in the new Scooby-Doo movie (2020’s Scoob!).
Anyway, given my history with the artist sometimes known as Zefron, I was already pumped up for The Iron Claw. But seeing the trailer today took my excitement to a whole other level. Rocking an unflattering haircut and a cute lil’ accent while crushing it in the ring and making eyes at Lily James, Zac is giving it his all as former WCWA World Heavyweight Champion Kevin Von Erich. When he says, “I just love being out there with you guys. It’s the only thing that matters to me,” I may have teared up. What can I say, I love men being open with their feelings for each other!!!
Between this and the news that “Bet On It” from HSM 2 has finally gone platinum, I think it’s safe to say ZAC IS BACK! And I, for one, couldn’t be prouder.