Zac Efron spoke about how hard he worked for his upcoming film Iron Claw in his Variety cover story published on Thursday.
Ahead of the premiere of the pro-wrestling biopic, the 36-year-old actor got candid about the intense preparing for the film and admitted he became ‘obsessed.’
‘It was a singular focus for months,’ he said about working on the movie — which will premiere in theaters on December 22. ‘And your life goes out the window during prep.
‘That necessity to be perfect… became an obsession,’ he confessed.
The former Disney star — who paid tribute to Matthew Perry while unveiling his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame — also spoke about starring in 17 Again with the late Friends actor and how his shock death has affected him.
Zac Efron spoke about his upcoming film, Iron Claw, in his Variety cover story published on Thursday
Zac, far left, transformed his body so much he was unrecognizable
He had to look very toned and built to play the top wrestler
For his latest project, he told the outlet that he worked out for multiple hours in a day and did volume training in order to gain 15 pounds of muscle.
He also revealed that he would actually wrestle while filming the matches, which lasted seven to 15 minutes long, multiple times a day and consecutive days in a week.
He noted that his intense training helped prepare him for that.
‘I was able to incorporate old-school body-building and Olympic lifting, and really achieved that specific look of pro wrestlers’ he explained, adding it was ‘really hard’.
Efron explained that the physical transformation helped him live in his role but he found himself ‘withdrawing’ just like his character.
‘It was an unforeseen ally,’ he said. ‘Having all that weight on, you don’t feel normal.
‘And the delayed-onset muscle soreness was through the roof,’ he admitted.
‘During preparation, it’s one thing to mange that — you don’t have ot be super social. I found myself withdrawing quite a bit’.
Ahead of the premiere of the pro-wrestling biopic, the 36-year-old actor got candid about the intense prep he put into preparing for the film and admitted he became ‘obsessed’
He also revealed that he would actually wrestle while filming the matches, which lasted seven to 15 minutes long, multiple times a day and consecutive days in a week
For his latest project, he told the outlet that he worked out for multiple hours in a day and did volume training in order to gain 15 pounds of muscle
In this film still, he looks to be ripped in a grat shirt
Efron explained that the physical transformation helped him live in his role but he found himself ‘withdrawing’ just like his character
The High School Musical alum said that his perfectionism tendencies often take over and he has to remind himself that ‘life is way too short’.
‘We’re supposed to be having fun,’ he said. ‘I have to remind myself that this should be fun above all else.
‘If being a perfectionist is going to be the thorn in my side from this point on, it’s like, life is way too short.’
From his own experience, he said growing up in the entertainment industry can be difficult and ‘lonely’ because ‘what you’re going through is of very little concern’.
‘The goal is always the next mission, the next movie, making sure everyone else is very happy,’ he added. ‘It can be very lonely at times.’
On that note, he said that he would advise his younger self, who had just filmed High School Musical and rose to fame, ‘to relax’.
He said he would tell himself: ‘It’s not the end of the world.’
In his interview, Efron also spoke about working on 2009 comedy film 17 Again with Perry and confessed ‘his passing me a lot’.
The High School Musical alum said that his perfectionism tendencies often take over and he has to remind himself that ‘life is way too short’
The former Disney star — who paid tribute to Matthew Perry while unveiling his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame — also spoke about starring in 17 Again with the late Friends actor and how his shock death has affected him
He admitted it can be ‘lonely’ and ‘isolating’ to be an actor and ‘being in the spotlight’.
‘It can be incredibly lonely, being an actor and being in the spotlight,’ he said. ‘It definitely can be isolating.’
Efron also said his advice is to build a supportive inner circle.
‘It’s very important to reach out to friends and foster relationships where you can talk and share stories,’ he said, adding that he had the opportunity to do so with Perry in recent years.
‘I hold the time we shared together really dear,’ he continued. ‘I’ve been thinking about him a lot, every day.’
