One of CinemaBlend's picks for the best movies of 2023, writer/director Sean Durkin’s The Iron Claw is an absolutely devastating tale. A portrait of the Von Erich wrestling dynasty’s rise and fall, the picture’s striking ensemble is anchored by actor Zac Efron and his role as Kevin Von Erich. The High School Musical vet’s team player attitude wasn’t only reflected in his performance, as co-star Harris Dickinson explained how Efron started a group chat with his cast mates.
The results were just as wholesome as you’d expect, as Dickinson’s chat with GQ would explain. It’s not that surprising to hear Efron's texting habits, as our The Iron Claw review and other discourse for the movie has highlighted just how bittersweet the finished product turned out to be. So reading these texts, shared by Harris Dickinson, makes for a beautiful counterbalance:
We had a group chat, and he would just send these really uplifting messages. At the end of the day when everyone's knackered, he would always just message and be like, ‘You guys did so good today. Proud of you. Love you.’ Just such sweet, easy stuff. But it does make a difference because you'd feel like, ‘Ah, yeah, all right. He sees us.’
If there ever was an experience that required “uplifting messages,” it’d have to be The Iron Claw. Even with Sean Durkin omitting one Von Erich brother’s story from the final draft of the script, the ups and downs shown on screen are harrowing enough to emotionally exhaust actor and viewer alike.
Not to mention, carrying the emotional weight of this project must have felt as difficult as Zac Efron’s dedication to his massive muscles. Take all of that into account, and one can see where Zac was coming from with such delightful notes of encouragement.
Watching through our Iron Claw interviews, that case is only further bolstered by how everyone talked about the picture. Other rounds on the press circuit have even made a potential Zac Efron WWE appearance sound like something the actor is enthusiastic about. Encouraging as always, he even thinks that fellow members of his Iron Claw cast would be just as suited to take on the task.
Ever the team captain, Efron and his optimism don’t seem to originate from a place of ego, especially when Harris Dickenson lays out their existence in such a loving context. Whether or not a WWE appearance actually happens in the future, one could be certain that the group chat between this fellowship of actors would be just as supportive now as they were when making this beautifully heartbreaking film.
The Iron Claw is currently playing in a theater near you, as part of the final act of the 2023 movie schedule. While we don't have an exact date on when the film will head to streaming, we do know that A24's new streaming agreement with Max has locked in the eventual platform that it will land on.
