Alternate Best Actor 2023: Zac Efron in The Iron Claw

Zac Efron did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Kevin Von Erich in The Iron Claw.

The Iron Claw tells the tragic tale of the Von Erich wrestling family.

Zac Efron broke out via his status as a teen heartthrob from High School the Musical, though he made I'd say a first attempt to break into dramas in kind of still fulfilling that role that didn't work out great, he kind of segued again by doing comedic subversion of his original type, before coming back again now having aged out of all of it to attempt being the dramatic actor again. And I'll say far, even with less than stellar material, I have liked Efron's attempts, with his portrayal of Ted Bundy being fairly effective if limited by a lackluster script. So I was honestly ready to accept him if he found the right role, with a decent script, and that is the case here in The Iron Claw as Kevin Von Erich, the second oldest, though de facto oldest son of the Von Erich family, after his oldest brother died from an accident at a very young age. Efron fully transforms himself, the most obvious part being completely putting on the wrestling physique, which is a rather dramatic transformation, even for the typically in great shape Efron this is another extreme, that certainly makes you believe him as a wrestler. But his transformation goes beyond that even as his Texas accent here is great and the best type of accent that you not only just accept as a natural part of the performance, more so the character, who Efron very carefully crafts as the modest brother, despite starting in the spotlight.

Efron's vocal work I think goes beyond just setting the place in creating this very subdued manner to the man that is Kevin, and in some ways what is a "simple" man within the scheme of the world. Efron's performance I think excels in fashioning this character who is unlike anything else he's portrayed by being such a modest figure, however in a way that is distinctive that doesn't reduce his presence in the film either. Rather Efron makes his impact through modesty which is quite special in itself. Efron's whole way of being has a certain kind of  generous way of reacting to others, and even more so this easy going state whenever he is not wrestling, though even a personal degree of awkwardness that just feels so natural that it is kind of sweet. When he first meets his eventual wife for example Pam (Lily James) asks him out after a wrestling show, Efron's great in being so convincing at the way he's stumbling around. It isn't a comedic bit, it is just genuinely who Kevin is, and the ease in which Efron delivers this unease is wonderful. He manages to find a certain charm by making the purity, for the lack of a better word, just so honest in his performance. His stare that isn't looking for any angles, his rather lunky way of movements, it is just of a singular presence that just makes Kevin so specifically him. One of my favorite moments is when Pam goes to have sex with Kevin for the first time, because of the sincerity of Efron's delivery where Kevin admits he's never been with a woman before. Although one can take humor out of it with the burly man being so lost in this arena, he doesn't make it a joke rather Efron's earnest manner just grants the insight of the endearing straightforward and humble nature of Kevin.

A straightforwardness we see with Kevin among his brothers, where he is the eldest technically but in a way he does defer to their tyrannical father Fritz (Holt McCallany). Efron's great along with all the actors playing the brothers of David (Harris Dickinson), Kerry (Jeremy Allen White) and Mike (Stanley Simon), in creating the unit of the brothers. Efron establishes a bit of a different kind of chemistry though with each of them, even if overall there is the fun loving unit of the brothers together. With Dickinson, Efron creates the closest relationship between the two. They just have so much natural warmth between the two in every interaction, where there just is this connection that doesn't need to be spoken. Efron and Dickinson have that important ease in that you just sense the history of them as brothers as a pair that is together as one. The moments where just the two are talking, particularly when we see their, unbeknownst to both, their final conversation, at Kevin's wedding to Pam, the love is just a given they have together as they speak. There is no effort to be found, they just simply are in the sincerest form of excitement as Kevin tells David about having a kid, while also even Kevin's concerns over David's apparent health and David waving it off, the sense of care about also the way of sort of shaking off any major concerns, all as part of the naturalistic honesty of brothers. They are the closest pair and between Efron and Dickinson you feel so much hope.

With Kerry, White and Efron are not nearly as close, except when they are a group, as we see more of a challenging rivalry between the two. Although Efron never portrays a purposeful intention to undercut his brother or show him up, Efron does subtly allude to just a little more tension with Kerry and most importantly not just that particular ease we see with David. We still have moments of an embrace which Efron doesn't complicate, it's love still, there's just more of that tension, a tension though that comes from a force not from the brothers but something else. With Mike we get the most sense of the older brother in Efron as you see him always offering this calm sense of support to his younger brother. Efron's portrayal of this more precise warmth is in every glance over to his brother, or kind word of encouragement to himself, there's an overwhelming sense of empathy. The complication of course is their father where we see a distant "be a man" attitude from Fritz, who is hard on all of the brothers even noting a son ranking that is subject to change. Something that we see Kevin push back lightly on which Efron plays very well in presenting genuine unease but held in fittingly given he's been under his thumb all his life. The moment early on where he tries to talk to their mom about it, but basically his mom defers any responsibility elsewhere, Efron's delivery reflects the sorry state of affairs. He is absolutely earnest in his calm way of just asking if his mom could step up just a little bit but when shut down, it is with this modest acceptance leaving the situation as it is.

And what the situation is, is their father pushing them to be the next number one in wrestling in any way. Where we see Efron on the ring basically in the physical aspects showing the man constantly pushing himself as much as possible to be part of the show. Although his attempts at promos are decidedly less impressive than those by his old man and brother. Although Efron is great in being bad at the promo in hitting in a lightly comic though believable way in his very stilted delivery that lacks the gusto needed for the game overall. Naturally showing why David becomes the favored wrestler within the public eyes and also within the eyes of his father. Still when we initially see him wrestling with his brothers, there is fun initially in the idea of them having some playing around still. Unfortunately, their dad's persistence leaves each one pressured that much more to accomplish. Efron's own performance portrays just this natural exhaustion from the process, though exacerbated as their father is most blunt, including his reaction when Kevin does not perform ideally in an exhibition match against the champ. Efron's performance in the scene afterwards is great in wearing the sense of disappointment, within the facade required by their father, who shows no sympathy just reasons for criticisms, and even explanations it is part of a bitter sort of "against the world attitude". Efron is terrific in the way he speaks everything as professionally as possible and with as much confidence as he can. While his expression still speaks to the real anxiety of the failure and sense of his personal failure within that calm face his father expects. 

When the moment comes in which David gets the full title shot instead of Kevin, Efron's way again of speaking the level of sadness is within the created state that fits to his father's expectation. Efron's great in managing to play the two sides of it, with the real emotion in there, but only just so slightly in his performance, as anything more would only lead to even more ire from their father. This "be a man" philosophy that continues when David dies unexpectedly from a ruptured intensity, where his father insists that the brothers show no tears for their brother. And what Efron does is marvelous in portraying playing to the repression forced upon Kevin and the others in this first death. His way of listening to the news, or seeing even David's loving postcard sent just before his death, Efron's performance conveys the emotion he can just around the edges. Efron finds just what he can to maintain the enforced state Kevin is in, even as he is living through such horrible emotional turmoil. And what Efron portrays initially is basically Kevin being stuck within the learned choices of his father, even after the suicide of Mike, after too being pushed too hard. Efron shows this growing weariness almost this confused loss in his way with words, such as not using the Von Erich name for his child, as a man stuck within the toxic mentality of his father. We see on the same side in the wrestling, there no longer is a hint of fun or enjoyment, there's just a greater intensity and this fixation to live up to his father's dream. And what Efron shows is basically Kevin being pulled into the same meaningless repression and vicious drive that only eats away at his soul. 

Up until this point, what Efron has done is craft a singular type of man, that is very idiosyncratic theoretically, but Efron makes it all very natural. He is this simple type believably, he is the man in this state of repression convincingly, which in itself is a remarkable achievement. Because never does this feel like Efron trying to play dramatic, nor does it feel like him trying to be this part in any way. He is merely Kevin Von Erich with his specific mannerisms and whole demeanor. There is no other note or idea required to be mentioned. He simply is it, which is impressive, but what's more impressive is what it is building to which is the man coming out of his state. The first minor break in this is when Kevin confronts his father over the finances of their wrestling federation where Fritz was underpaying him. The hint of actual dissatisfaction, even if just a hint at first, from Efron speaks to finally the man seeing his father's actions more clearly. The emotion of the man finally coming out, finally becoming more evident than what his father would allow. this continues when he gets a suicidal call from Kerry, where Efron's performance again lets out more direct emotion, an active concern that speaks volumes as he tries to talk his brother down then even trying to convince his father to do something, his way of saying "just look out for him" with a slight voice crack, bringing the real caring man past his conditioning.

Which leads to two amazing scenes for Efron, that are so impactful in part because of how constrained he has been up until this point. The first being when arrives just slightly too late to see that his brother has committed suicide, where his father, even while his brother is lying dead near him, still blames him. Efron's reaction to seeing his dead brother brings the severity of the unbelievable shocking pain of the moment. Followed by the first true outburst by Efron that is so powerful as he releases initially the rage against all his father's actions and in-action. Efron makes it more than just momentary anger from the shocking event, but more so, just this pent up hate towards his father from so many years. His sadness though still is even held in, however this middle place as he brings his brother's dead body into the house, with this control of the man still trying to hold it together, yet the real sorrow seeping through the edges and with such tenderness with his final words of love to yet another brother who has died. But what this is all leading to is Efron's final scene, where we see Kevin finally drop any act. Evidently Claw's director, Sean Durkin, told Efron not to cry till this scene, and great directing advice, because it is outstanding work from Efron because it is this tremendous release of emotion. Efron is heartbreaking because in it you see every loss he's suffered throughout the film in his nearly broken state. Although saved by his sons coming to comfort him, where Efron so poignantly speaks the simple yet powerful sense of his lost brothers. Somehow transferring the moment to something beautiful in its catharsis, as his sons comfort their dad, promising to be his brother, and Efron's performance manages to reveal all the pain of Kevin's life, though it ends with just the right glint of hope and happiness as he turns to the promise of his own family. Playing perfectly that lowest emotional point to finding something to live for in just a glance, that is wonderfully performed by Efron. Although I think elements of this performance can be taken for granted, by how reserved much of it is, that reserved quality not only is essential to where the character goes, Efron so distinctly crafts that reserved state that we do know exactly who Kevin is up until that point, and do see what he's going through albeit through a barrier. This is a great performance by Zac Efron, that honestly didn't surprise me, because I thought he had it in him, and this powerful portrait surviving tragedy was merely the revelation of it.