Zac Efron had been through the grueling pre-production boot camp and had carefully studied Kevin Von Erich’s physicality and mannerisms. But he still wasn’t mentally prepared for that top rope. Even for the seasoned actors in The Iron Claw, imitating professional wrestlers brought a sense of trepidation and nostalgic exhilaration.
“The very first time I entered the Sportatorium in Kevin’s full costume and trunks, the crowd was huge and the lights were on,” Efron says. “It all came to a head jumping off the top rope. At that moment, I was frozen in time.”
The biopic brings the bittersweet story of Denton’s Von Erich family back into the spotlight, as well as a largely forgotten heyday in wrestling that was anchored in the legendary arena just south of downtown Dallas.
It’s an oft-told chapter in wrestling lore, converging masculinity with fate, noteworthy as much for its tragedies as its triumphs.
The true-life drama is told primarily from the perspective of Kevin, the only survivor among four brothers — including global superstar Kerry (Jeremy Allen White) — who rose to fame during the early 1980s under the tutelage of their domineering father, ex-champion Fritz Von Erich (Holt McCallany). The elder Von Erich ran the Dallas-based World Class Championship Wrestling promotion. The man responsible for bringing their story to the big screen? A filmmaker named Sean Durkin, who grew up nearly 5,000 miles from the Sportatorium.
Durkin says he always felt a special connection to the Von Erichs and their legacy. Even growing up in England, the Canadian director was a self-proclaimed “wrestling freak.” He subscribed to magazines, bought action figures, and attended every match he could.
“Everything was so shiny by the late eighties and early nineties. [The Sportatorium] just looked different. You could feel that these guys were really hitting each other,” Durkin said following the film’s recent Dallas world premiere at the Texas Theatre. “I remember seeing Kevin fly off the top rope there and seeing the brothers together. They all had these individual styles but together they were this incredible team. Without knowing about the depth of their brotherhood, I felt it just by being a fan.”
Durkin (Martha Marcy May Marlene), who also wrote the screenplay, admits he was a shy child and wrestling became a vessel for self-expression during his formative years.
“They’re the greatest athletes and they give people this joy. They’re a villain so you get to scream and boo, or they’re your hero so you can cheer them and feel their pain. It was like a release for me as a kid,” he said. “When we re-created the Sportatorium, it was like time travel for me.”
The arena itself was demolished about 20 years ago, wiped away from near where Fuel City stands today. But Durkin’s team constructed a practical replica, both interior and exterior, on a composite set in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where the bulk of filming took place.
Efron and the cast trained for several weeks before filming with Chavo Guerrero Jr., the retired wrestler from El Paso who consulted on the film. He also plays iconic villain The Sheik on screen.
“You could tell how good the wrestling was by how the audience reacted,” Efron said. “They were a whole other character in the film.”
In fact, many of the cast members playing the brothers — including Harris Dickinson (Triangle of Sadness) as David and Stanley Simons (Angelfish) as musician Mike — met and bonded in the weight room and on the mat.
“As soon as I signed on, I just started picking up heavy things,” White said. “That time in the ring was very helpful. The familiarity didn’t feel forced. I very quickly felt like I cared for these guys. There was this shorthand. We had to trust each other, and there was this immediate vulnerability built into that.”
White (“The Bear”) wasn’t as familiar with the backstory or wrestling in general before being cast in the project. At 5 feet, 7 inches, he’s more than six inches shorter than Kerry, yet embraced the physicality inherent in the role.
“The adrenaline is real. In the moment, you don’t have a sense of what’s going on with your body. We had really good stunt coordinators on set and they were looking out for us the entire time,” he says. “It’s like dance, gymnastics, combat sports — the endurance that it takes. These guys are performers, artists, and storytellers outside of the obvious athleticism.”
Outside the ring, of course, the film tackles the tragic deaths of most of the Von Erich brothers and confronts the complicated legacy of Fritz as a businessman and father. The film’s title comes from Fritz’s signature finishing move.
“I think those guys did a great job of capturing the love between us brothers and the love between us and our father,” says Kevin Von Erich, now 66, who recently relocated back to Texas after living for several years in Hawaii. “He was a strict disciplinarian, but it’s a good thing he was, because life is rough and we were prepared.”
Aside from the testosterone-fueled brawn and machismo, it’s a tale the actors wanted to tell with tenderness, empathy, and authenticity, in the hope that moviegoers can connect with The Iron Claw on multiple levels.
“I hope people see the beauty in the story beyond all the tragic circumstances,” Efron said, “It was challenging to make. Kevin’s had a crazy life.”
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