Zac Efron Is Proud of His 'Shocking' and 'Epic' Transformation for 'The Iron Claw' After Fans Claimed He Looked Unrecognizable at Premiere

Zac Efron is proud of the work he put in for his role in The Iron Claw.

Though the actor has always had a muscular physique, he went above and beyond in the gym to ensure he perfectly embodied real life retired wrestler Kevin Von Erich.

"This movie's a true story, and that man, Kevin Von Erich, he really motivated me to get in shape for this movie," the actor, 36, told a reporter at the flick's Dallas, Texas, premiere on Wednesday, November 8.

"The physicality he brought to the ring every single day was really unique. It changed wrestling," the Disney Channel alum shared. "I knew that was going to be the hardest [thing] for me to master and get right. So, I put everything I had into it."

The Hollywood hunk noted he also had wardrobe and more to thank for nailing the look.

"It was shocking at every point of the transformation. I remember [costar] Harris [Dickinson] and I were walking out of hair and make-up and it was like the first time we had to wear the full kit, and we were both thinking, 'What the h--- are we doing here, man? How did we get into this?'" he quipped.

"But I think it ended up looking really good and we had a great crew helping us out with that," added Efron. "The hair and make-up team was epic."

The star revealed that even Von Ehrich approved of his portrayal. "He told me he was happy with it last night, so I'm stoked!" the High School Musical lead spilled. "I cried a little bit, if I'm going to be completely honest."

While the actor is excited for people to see the flick — which his theaters next month — some people were taken aback by his new appearance, as his jaw is more pronounced than usual.

However, Efron explained last year that he had to undergo surgery and attend physical therapy after an accident.

"He’d been running through his house in socks and slipped, smacking his chin against the granite corner of a fountain," reporter Lauren Larson shared of what happened. "He lost consciousness, and when he woke up, he recalls, his chin bone was hanging off his face."

The Summerland alum said his jaw looks bigger because "the masseters just grew. They just got really, really big."

Never miss a story — sign up for the OK! newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what OK! has to offer. It’s gossip too good to wait for!

The heartthrob is aware that not everyone is digging his new look, but he ignores the negativity.

"If I valued what other people thought of me to the extent that they may think I do, I definitely wouldn’t be able to do this work," he explained in a past interview.

Entertainment Tonight spoke with Efron about his transformation.