Zac Efron before and after: the movie star’s physical transformation

Disney reached new heights in the 1990s and 2000s, producing a string of hit series and movies that remain firm favourites among young audiences even today, in addition to enjoying the ongoing affection of a generation of viewers who are now no longer so youthful.

One of the studio’s stand-out successes from the period is the young-adult franchise High School Musical, starring Vanessa Hudgens and Zac Efron. Released between 2006 and 2008, the trilogy of films saw Efron, in particular, rise to Hollywood stardom. This was thanks not only to his fine acting performances and prodigious singing voice, but also the good looks and hunky physique that earned him millions of admirers worldwide.

Changing face of Efron sparks online talk

Efron, who on Monday was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, has followed exacting fitness routines and a strict diet that have allowed the 36-year-old to maintain his ripped body throughout the years. Indeed, it was a key element of his roles in movies such as Baywatch and The Greatest Showman, in which he can be seen showing off his muscly torso.

While Efron’s body has remained unchanged over the past decade and a half, however, social-media users have pointed out that his facial features have undergone a noticeable shift. As can be seen in the images below, which were taken in 2008 and 2023, respectively, the cheek, jaw and chin areas of the actor’s face are visibly different.

Efron scotches plastic surgery rumours

These changes, which fans first began to notice around 2021, have led to speculation that Efron has had cosmetic surgery - suggestions that he flatly denies. In a September 2022 interview with Men’s Health magazine, the California native explained that the transformation in his face was largely a result of an injury he had suffered four years earlier.

While running in socks at his home, he slipped and hit his chin off the granite corner of a fountain, shattering his jaw. In the wake of the fall, Efron told Men’s Health, some of the masseter muscles in his face, which are used for chewing, had to work harder to make up for other injured muscles that were unable to function properly. “The masseters just grew,” he said. “They just got really, really big.”

Efron added that he was unfazed by all the online chatter over his appearance, declaring: “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.”

Efron embodies wrestler Von Erich for new movie

Efron has also undergone a physical shift - this time intentional - for his latest movie, The Iron Claw, a biopic about the professional wrestler Kevin von Erich and the Von Erich family. In the film, which is to be released in the US on 22 December, Efron can be seen sporting the long hair worn by Von Erich, and has bulked up his already stacked physique to mimic the wrestler’s weighty appearance.

Watch the official Iron Claw trailer:

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