{"id":45493,"date":"2024-02-08T12:47:47","date_gmt":"2024-02-08T11:47:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1988656"},"modified":"2024-02-08T13:22:54","modified_gmt":"2024-02-08T12:22:54","slug":"the-iron-claw-director-explains-why-he-cast-amazing-zac-efron","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/the-iron-claw-director-explains-why-he-cast-amazing-zac-efron\/","title":{"rendered":"The Iron Claw director explains why he cast \u201camazing\u201d Zac Efron"},"content":{"rendered":"

The tragic wrestling drama finds Efron in more dramatic territory than we’re used to. <\/p>

By Patrick Cremona\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 08 February 2024 at 11:47 AM<\/p>

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Although Zac Efron has had an extremely successful career \u2013 proving himself an enormously engaging performer in a range of musicals and comedies \u2013 he hasn\u2019t had too<\/em> many opportunities to showcase his more serious dramatic acting chops.<\/p>\n

But in Sean Durkin\u2019s new film The Iron Claw<\/a>, the former High School Musical star gets the chance to do just that \u2013 playing the real-life wrestler Kevin Von Erich, whose family was beset by a string of unfathomable tragedies in the late \u201980s and early \u201990s.<\/p>\n

His heartbreaking performance has been widely acclaimed by critics<\/a>, and speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com<\/a> ahead of the film\u2019s UK release, Durkin explained why he thought Efron would be the perfect fit, even though it\u2019s a rather different role than we\u2019ve seen from him in the past.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust in general, I just like watching him,\u201d he said. \u201cI actually try to not cast people based on what they\u2019ve done before. I look for like, something that I liked that they did, or something of an element maybe that they did that would apply.<\/p>

\u201cBut I\u2019m always trying to get someone into something that no one else is putting them in. That doesn\u2019t happen with everybody, but that\u2019s what I\u2019m often trying to do.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I cast Zack because I hadn\u2019t seen him in anything like it. And that was exciting to me, because I just love him as a performer, I think his comedy in particular is amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, Efron isn\u2019t the only big name to feature in the cast: he\u2019s joined by the likes of Lily James, Jeremy Allen White and Harris Dickinson, with the latter two playing two of Kevin\u2019s brothers, Kerry and David.<\/p>\n

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Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n
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Jeffrey Wright on American Fiction: \u201cWe all want to be seen for our authentic selves\u201d<\/a><\/li>\n
Richard Armitage on I Am Urban, ITV thriller Red Eye and Harlan Coben<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Durkin \u2013 who has a background in casting \u2013 explained that it was of utmost importance to find actors who could match their energies to each other, especially when it came to creating a family bond.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cWe started with Zac, knowing what he feels like, and then adding Harris [who] just has an ease about him, like a playful ease that I think, is a nice contrast to Kevin\u2019s more inner sort of quiet sweetness.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then casting Stanley [Simons] as Mike, finding someone with that real little brother energy, like youthful, fun, a bit funny, bit goofy, and then adding in Jeremy\u2019s intensity. It\u2019s just about that blend.\u201d<\/p>\n
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