How Tall Zac Efron Is & How His Height Compares To The Iron Claw’s Kevin Von Erich

Zac Efron plays larger-than-life professional wrestler Kevin Von Erich of the famous Von Erich brothers in The Iron Claw, but there’s a bit of a height difference between the actor and the wrestler in real life. The Iron Claw tells the true story of Kevin Von Erich and his family of pro-wrestlers, who were believed to suffer from the “Von Erich curse” due to the immense tragedies they endured. Of Fritz Von Erich’s six sons (including his first-born, who died at six years old), Kevin is the only surviving Von Erich brother today.

To play Kevin Von Erich, Efron underwent a major physical transformation for The Iron Claw. His efforts seem to have paid off: Efron’s performance in ​​​​​​The Iron Claw has been praised by critics as a career highlight. The real Kevin Von Erich even approved of The Iron Claw‘s depiction of his family’s story. However, despite his complete embodiment of the pro wrestler onscreen, there is one aspect of Kevin’s physicality that Efron wasn’t able to emulate.

Related

Zac Efron’s High School Musical Role Prepared Him For The Iron Claw – No, Really

Zac Efron revealed how playing Troy Bolton in High School Musical helped him prepare for the role of pro-wrestler Kevin Von Erich in The Iron Claw.

Zac Efron Is 6 Inches Shorter Than The Real Kevin Von Erich

The wrestler is quite a bit taller than the actor who portrays him

While Efron managed to get jacked like Kevin Von Erich for The Iron Claw, the actor didn’t quite reach the same heights as the wrestler—literally. Zac Efron is only 5’8″ tall, or 1.73 m, while Kevin Von Erich stands a whole 6 inches taller at 6’2″ tall, or 1.88 m. Though some sources have Kevin’s height listed as 1.91 m, which would make him 6’3″ tall, it’s stated in The Iron Claw that Efron-as-Kevin is 6’2″ tall. Either way, Kevin is definitely over 6 feet in real life, which Efron is far from reaching.

Related

Where To Watch The Iron Claw: Showtimes & Streaming Status

With an exclusive theatrical release and upcoming streaming debut, where to watch The Iron Claw, starring Zac Efron, depends on a few factors.

It’s not uncommon for movies to create the illusion that an actor is taller than they are in real life, intentionally or unintentionally. However, when a film portrays multiple real-life people whose height info is publicly available, it becomes a little more complicated. ​​​​​The Iron Claw manages to make this height discrepancy between Efron and the real person he’s portraying work with a little movie magic.

How The Iron Claw Makes Sense Of Zac Efron & Kevin Von Erich’s Height Difference

The Iron Claw pulls off the height difference with strategic casting

Strategic lighting and angles most likely played a role in making Efron seem taller, but what helped was that all the actors who play the rest of the Von Erichs are also shorter than their real-life counterparts. Some of The Iron Claw actors are a little closer in height to the Von Erich family members they portray than others, but they all stand at least an inch shorter than their real-life counterparts. The biggest height discrepancy is between Jeremy Allen White and Kerry Von Erich. Standing at only 5’7″ tall, Allen White is a whole 7 inches shorter than Kerry, who was 6’2″ tall, the same as his older brother Kevin.

Harris Dickinson plays the tallest Von Erich brother, David, who measures a whopping 6’8″ tall, or 2.08 m. This worked out, though, since Dickinson is somewhere between 1.83 m to 1.86 m tall, making him over 6′ tall. Casting actors who were all shorter than the real Von Erichs they portrayed in The Iron Claw ensured that Efron’s and Kevin’s height discrepancy wasn’t a problem onscreen.