Zac Efron looked casual but cozy as he stepped out in New York Monday.
The 36-year-old actor who bulked up for his latest role in The Iron Claw, shared the outline of his muscular form in a V-neck navy blue sweater with a crew neck white T-shirt beneath.
The Gold star – who recently shocked fans with his apparent facial transformation in an interview – wore jeans with tan ankle boots as he exited the Bowery Hotel.
His face was mostly clean shaven with a hint of stubble, after abandoning the mustache he grew for his role as wrestling professional Kevin Von Erich.
The MTV Movie Award winner’s dark hark cut short and styled in loose spikes atop his head.
Muscular form: Zac Efron showcased his muscular form in a V-neck navy blue sweater with a crew neck white T-shirt beneath. The Gold star wore jeans with tan ankle boots as he exited the Bowery Hotel in New York Monday
He completed the look with a pair of dark framed sunglasses.
This comes days after the star’s fans were left surprised at his unrecognizable face in a new interview he did for Entertainment Weekly.
In the video interview, Zach was seen with his fuller jawline and face transformation – something which he explained in 2022 – revealing it was the result of his shattered jaw after he smashed his chin on a granite fountain – after sparking plastic surgery rumors the year prior.
‘What happened to his face??’ one fan wrote, while annoying called his face ‘huge.’
Others compared him to characters like Thanos in Avengers and even went as far as naming Prince Farquaad from Shrek.
Other fans reminded everyone of his previous shattered jaw.
In 2022, Zac appeared on the cover of Men’s Health Magazine, and explained what happened to his face – after rumors of plastic surgery circulated since the prior year.
In his interview, Zac revealed that he had a nasty accident at home that caused the massive transformation in his face.
The Iron Claw is not set to open in theaters until December 22, but the film is already capturing a lot of buzz after its world premiere in Dallas last week.
Zac stars with Harrison Dickson, Jeremy Allen White and Stanley Simons as one of four sons of professional wrestler Fritz Von Erich.
With their father’s guidance and coaching, the brothers would go on to create a wrestling dynasty, until it was torn apart by tragedy.
The actor was able to bond with the man he portrays and told Variety the project received his seal of approval.
Zac spoke with the real Kevin Von Erich the night before the film’s debut in Dallas.
‘I was very curious about what he thought of the movie,’ he told the outlet.
‘We went out to the patio, sat forehead to forehead, and talked about life for an hour and a half. And he told me that he did enjoy the movie.’
Close shave: The actor’s face was mostly clean shaven, with a hint of stubble after abandoning the mustache he grew for his role as wrestling professional Kevin Von Erich in The Iron Claw. The MTV Movie Award winner’s dark hark cut short and styled in loose spikes atop his head
Buzz: Zac’s film, The Iron Claw, is not set to open in theaters until December 22, but it’s already capturing a lot of awards buzz. Zac stars with Harrison Dickson, Jeremy Allen White and Stanley Simons as one of four sons of professional wrestler Fritz Von Erich
Dance: At a Q&A after a screening in New York Monday, it was revealed that cast members sang tunes from High School Musical while shooting a party scene. Zac and co-star Jeremy Allen White said their dance experience helped with the wrestling choreography
Current: Zac Efron fans were left surprised at his unrecognizable face in a new interview he did for Entertainment Weekly
Other fans compared him to character in films, while others reminded one another of his shattered jaw caused by an accident at home
Causing a stir: Fans noticed Efron’s jaw looked quite different in a 2021 Earth Day video (pictured right) than from his High School Musical days (pictured left in 2006)
‘I can’t really put into words how that feels,’ he claimed.
‘It’s far and away the most important review to me on so many levels. It meant the world, and everything just came full circle.’
During a Question and Answer session after an industry screening of the film in New York later that evening, it was revealed that members of the cast sang songs from from High School Musical while a party scene was being shot.
Zac told the audience his dance experience in the Disney musical franchise helped with the wrestling choreography, adding that he is ‘a physical learner, a visual learner.’
Co-star Jeremy Allen White, who also has a dance background, agreed explaining for him, wrestling is ‘a mix of gymnastics with a dance component and also a combat sport. With dance you get a sense of your body in space, which is important for professional wrestling so you don’t hurt yourself or others.’
Although no project has been given the greenlight, the late Matthew Perry, who died October 28 at age 54, wrote in his memoir that if there were to be a movie about his life, he wanted Zac to star in it.
Approval: The actor received a thumbs up from the real Kevin Von Erich, whom he portrays in The Iron Claw, revealing to Variety, ‘It’s far and away the most important review to me on so many levels’ (Pictured in Dallas November 8)
The two worked together while making the 2009 movie 17 Again.
Zac played the younger version of Matthew’s Mike O’Donnell in the comedy.
‘It would be extraordinary to do,’ he told Extra at The Iron Claw premiere. ‘We’ll see what happens.’
He added: ‘I looked up to him, I learned comedic timing from that guy. I mean, when we were filming 17 Again, it was so surreal for me to look across and have him be there, because I’ve learned so much from him, from his whole life.’
