See the Stars of The Iron Claw Compared to the Real People They Play

Zac Efron as Kevin Von Erich

Champion wrestler Kevin Von Erich, played by High School Musical alumnus Zac Efron, is a son of famous professional wrestler Fritz Von Erich. In 2009, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a member of the Von Erich family, which includes his three brothers Kerry, David and Mike, who are also depicted in The Iron Claw.

Efron completely transformed his physique for the film, though it was not the first time the actor had done so for a part. This time around, however, he was sure to go about it differently after the training for 2017's Baywatch led to him falling "into a pretty bad depression, for a long time," as he later told Men's Health.

"That Baywatch look, I don't know if that's really attainable," he said. "There's just too little water in the skin. Like, it's fake; it looks CGI'd. And that required powerful diuretics to achieve. So I don't need to do that. I much prefer to have an extra, you know, 2 to 3 percent body fat."

Efron’s costar, Jeremy Allen White, applauded his commitment, telling Esquire :“He’s so focused and knowledgeable on training, diet, all that. In terms of a physical transformation, I think he kind of blew us all out of the water. He looks really amazing in this thing.”

During a Q&A following the movie's New York City premiere in November, Efron opened up about what it felt like depicting Kevin, knowing he’d see the film. 

"Playing somebody who's real and still alive adds an extra layer of complexity, I think," Efron shared. "As an actor, it's a fine line. You want to do everything you can to make sure it's an honest portrayal of the character, without going so hard that it's an impersonation. And for this movie, just knowing that he was going to be out there and would ultimately see it, I didn't know if I was going to do a good job or not."

"It was very motivating. It was incredibly motivating," he continued. "That would keep me going in the gym and in the ring, just wanting to make him proud."

Jeremy Allen White as Kerry Von Erich

The Bear star Jeremy Allen White portrays Kerry Von Erich in the film, a role that also warranted a physique change for the Golden Globe winner. 

“You’re trying to consume as much as you possibly can, and, to be honest, you don’t feel great,” he told Esquire. “I was training as well, but, I don’t know, trying to get that big, it’s no way to live.”

He recounted a diet of waffles, almond butter, turkey patties and avocado (“all the time”).

White admitted: “I knew I couldn’t get as big as Kerry. I just don’t think it was physically possible for me. I’m a pretty little guy, but I tried. I don’t think it’s possible for any human on the planet.”

Kerry had his right foot amputated after a motorcycle accident, though continued to wrestle while keeping the injury a secret. He died by suicide in 1993 following the deaths of his brothers, David, Mike, Chris and the first-born of the six brothers, Jack, who drowned at just 6 years old in 1959, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Harris Dickinson as David Von Erich

Along with his brothers Kevin and Kerry, David Von Erich was a standout in World Class Championship Wrestling, per WWE. 

Harris Dickinson, who plays David in the film, told EW that learning the family’s signature maneuver — the “Iron Claw” for which the movie is named — was no easy feat. 

"I felt like I was complaining a lot throughout the process, but it did hurt!" he told the outlet. "It's harder when you can't squeeze someone's head for real, so you have to create the idea that you are inflicting pain with just the squeeze of your hand and the shake. After a while, your forearms are cramping up, and you feel silly, like 'My arm! I can't do this anymore!' "

David died in 1984 from enteritis, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.

Stanley Simons as Mike Von Erich

While there were six Von Erich brothers in real life, the youngest brother, Chris, is not depicted in the film. Instead, writer and director Sean Durkin incorporated some of his story into Mike’s part in the movie. 

"We made a choice to narrow [the focus] while trying to keep the essence of him," Durkin told EW. 

Of Mike, who though loyal to the family legacy also pursued interests outside of wrestling, actor Stanley Simons told the outlet: "He and his younger brother Chris were both the younger brothers of these three huge, larger-than-life characters. I thought that dynamic was interesting. You can see it in the videos you watch of him: He's obviously super supportive, and wrestling was such a big part of his life. But he also took the brunt of David's passing and was shoehorned into [wrestling] by his father, a little bit."

Simons said the bond between him and his fellow actors felt much like that of a real family. 

"Every time I was in a scene with them, it felt right," the actor told EW. "It felt like we were brothers. Sean was really open about improvising and letting us just do our own things in some takes. Obviously, we were following the script, but other times, we got to just mess around as brothers."

Per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Mike died in 1987 from an overdose.