Zac Efron Says It Was 'Jarring' Standing Around in His Underwear on “Iron Claw” Set: 'Where Do You Put Your Hands?'

"You’ve just got to stand there with a whole crowd around, in your underwear," Zac Efron said of downtime in the ring while filming 'The Iron Claw'

Zac Efron is sharing one of the most challenging aspects of playing a pro wrestler: wearing so few clothes on set!

While Efron, 36, recently discussed his new movie The Iron Claw with the U.K. outlet Metro, the actor admitted it took time getting used to spending downtime on set in his underwear around so many people.

"One of the jarring moments that I wasn’t expecting was when the wrestling stops, or there’s a cut, or in between setups or takes – you’ve just got to stand there with a whole crowd around, in your underwear," he said. "And there’s nothing really going on."

"That’s a different kind of feeling. I’ve never experienced that one before," Efron added.

Related: Zac Efron Hires John Cena to Be His Fake Best Friend in Raunchy Ricky Stanicky Trailer

Efron portrays pro wrestler Kevin Von Erich in The Iron Claw, which traces the real-life story of the Von Erich professional wrestling family. Jeremy Allen White plays the late Kerry Von Erich in the film, while Harris Dickinson and Stanley Simons portray Kevin's other late brothers David and Mike Von Erich. The film follows the siblings as they struggle to live up to their father Fritz Von Erich's (Holt McCallany) expectations for them in the pro wrestling industry.

"You just kind of gotta… like, where do you put your hands? On your hips? You can’t help – there are people everywhere, you can’t look up and have somebody not looking back at you! So that was a bit unnatural," added Efron to Metro.

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Related: Adele Reveals The Iron Claw Was Her 'Favorite Movie of the Year': 'So Blown Away by Zac Efron'

Efron first gained attention for The Iron Claw when photos emerged of him showing a muscly physique on the movie's set in fall 2022. The film proved a success for the actor, filmmaker Sean Durkin and distributor A24. It carries high ratings from critics and audience members alike on Rotten Tomatoes and has made more than $34 million at the domestic box office since its release in December.

"Playing somebody who's real and still alive adds an extra layer of complexity, I think," Efron said of playing Kevin Von Erich at a Q&A for the movie in New York City back in November. "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."

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