Sophia Michaels
The upcoming A24 movieThe Iron Claw may not have Lily James showing off her wrestling moves, but she still had to be around Zac Efron and the rest of the cast as they wore their ‘80s wrestling garb. It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it. If you look at Efron’s insane body and hair in the film’s trailer, you can either swoon at what you see, chuckle or maybe both. The British actress shared what her funny reaction was to seeing all of her male co-stars wearing tight spandex on set.
Lily James’ character, Pam Adkisson, is based on the real-life wife of world champion wrestler Kevin Von Erich. He and his brothers created a dynasty that popularized the iron claw wrestling hold. The Mamma Mia actress told TODAY with Hoda & Jenna how thankful she was not to squeeze her body in those itsy-bitsy spandex speedos like her male co-stars had to for the sports drama:
He is phenomenal in this movie. That haircut! You know it’s so funny, before I met any of the boys – all the brothers are amazing – I went in for a costume fitting and I just saw rails and rails of, like, spandex and tiny pants. I was like, ‘Thank goodness it’s not for me.’
This time around for The Iron Claw, it looks like men will be the objectified parties here having to wear ‘80s spandex for the world to see. Zac Efron humorously compared his Iron Claw hair and “speedo” look to Magic Mike! I can definitely understand the comparison of being in the limelight while wearing tight, sexy attire as if you were about to perform a lap dance. All in all, the High School Musical actortook it like a champ, truly grateful to the hair and makeup team for helping him and his castmates look good. Fans, on the other hand, couldn’t help but compare his Kevin Von Erich look to Shrek’s Lord Farquaad. That comparison, I’d have to say, is totally undermining Efron’s monster looks for the biopic.
While the spandex and tiny pants brought some humor to Lily James, the Baby Driver actress still really liked what she saw in her male co-stars, saying:
They all looked [great]. They worked so hard. It was incredible.
It really was a lot of hard work for Zac Efron and his co-stars to look like one of the most important wrestling families. Not only did they all get a full body shave, but the Baywatch star got ripped for The Iron Claw by coming up with his own fitness routine that worked well for his body. Other than the cast working those muscles, they had to change their diets around too. Jeremy Allen White, who plays Kerry von Erich, spoke about the gross struggles of bulking up, like consuming as much as he could in waffles, almond butter, turkey patties and avocados. As the critics have been praising the A24 flick, it looks like all of that hard grunt work truly paid off.
The Downton Abbey star was lucky she didn’t have to go through any grueling workout training like everyone else on set had to. But it didn’t mean James didn’t try to blend in with the cast while scoping their wrestling moves on set. As she explained:
There was like an old school gym on the family ranch where we were shooting. In between takes I saw the guys there, but I’d just grab a tiny dumbbell. Just checking them out.
It’s really cute that the Cinderella actress was trying to fit in with the boys with her tiny dumbbell. That would be the only way I’d be able to contribute on that front as well. When talking about how Zac Efron got all “muscly” for their movie together, she admitted his beefiness and that ‘80s bowl haircut was distracting for her.
However, another distraction for James came from the Neighbors actor’s transformative performance in the role. She’d be in total agreement with fans who saw the initial screenings and said the same thing. I have a feeling we’re all going to be blown away not only by the brawn of the male actors but their extraordinary talent in telling this deep true story.
Lily James may not have had to wrestle, but she still had a tough job keeping a straight face towards Zac Efron and the cast of The Iron Claw wearing their spandex speedos. While there was no hiding those tight outfits and holy abs, I’m sure there was also no covering their incredible performances either.
James, those spandex speedos and the actors wearing them will all be featured in the critically acclaimed 2023 movie release when it hits theaters on December 22nd.
