Zac Efron has opened up about the physical and mental toll of achieving Hollywood’s idealized physique, revealing the dark reality behind his famous transformations. From Baywatch to his recent role in A24’s The Iron Claw, the actor’s journey highlights the complex relationship between physical transformation and mental health in the entertainment industry.
The Baywatch Burden: A Physical and Mental Struggle
The root of Efron’s body image challenges can be traced back to his role in the 2017 film Baywatch. In a candid interview with Men’s Health, he exposed the truth behind achieving his iconic beach body.
“That Baywatch look, I don’t know if that’s really attainable. There’s just too little water in the skin, like it’s fake, it looks CGI’d,”
he revealed.
The transformation involved extreme measures, including the use of powerful diuretics like Lasix, typically reserved for medical settings. The consequences were severe:
“I started to develop insomnia and I fell into a pretty bad depression for a long time. Something about that experience burned me out. I had a really hard time recentering,”
Efron shared.
The Iron Claw: Wrestling with Transformation
Years after Baywatch, Efron faced another challenging physical transformation for his role as Kevin Von Erich in The Iron Claw. The actor packed on 15 pounds of muscle during a seven-month period, but this time, the experience proved transformative in a different way.
“I’ve been driven to push my physicality to different inhuman proportions, and it’s taken a hold at times,”
he explained in a recent interview with Deadline. The role deeply affected him:
“I shed a skin somewhere in those seven months where Kevin was really at the wheel,”
adding,
“To be honest, I don’t think I’ll ever be the same after playing Kevin. It definitely changed me; I’m still coming back to Zac.”
Finding Balance
Today, Efron has adopted a more sustainable approach to fitness and nutrition. After experimenting with various diets, including a period of veganism, he’s found a balance that works for him.
“I started intermittent fasting just after I stopped being vegan. My body wasn’t processing the vegetables in the right way so I decided to stop it and try something new.”
His current philosophy prioritizes overall health over achieving an unrealistic, hyper-shredded physique. He maintains a flexible approach to nutrition while still enjoying occasional indulgences, particularly his favorite cheat meal: massive amounts of pancakes from Kodiak Cakes.
“If I’m gonna have a cheat meal, I still want it to be at least semi good for you,”
he notes.
Moving forward, Efron is focusing on more meaningful aspects of his craft.
“I’m looking for directors with a real story to tell, and a perspective,”
he revealed, signaling a mature evolution in his approach to both his career and personal well-being. His journey serves as a powerful reminder of the often-unseen psychological challenges actors face when preparing for physically demanding roles, bringing much-needed attention to the mental health impacts of extreme body transformations in Hollywood.
A former capoeira instructor turned biohacking enthusiast, Gio spent his early years bouncing between São Paulo and Miami before settling in Austin. With a master’s in sports physiology and a penchant for experimenting with traditional Brazilian herbs, he’s become Rude Vulture’s go-to expert on movement optimization and plant-based performance enhancement. When not writing about the intersection of martial arts and ancestral living, he runs an underground fight gym where participants are required to follow strict circadian rhythm protocols.