Zac Efron Says He's 'Grateful' for Playing Kevin Von Erich in “The Iron Claw” as He Wishes Fans a 'Happy New Year'

"You were the man for the job and I’ll always consider you a friend," Kevin Von Erich wrote on Instagram in response to Zac Efron's New Year's Day post

Zac Efron is reflecting on playing Kevin Von Erich in The Iron Claw.

On New Year's Day, Efron, 36, shared a number of photos from the set of the movie to his Instagram page as he looked back on his eventful year. The images show Efron and his costars Jeremy Allen White and Harris Dickinson in the wrestling ring and in a locker room during filming for the movie, which follows the life story of Von Erich and his brothers.

"I am so grateful for so many things in 2023…professionally i recently had the honor of portraying Kevin Von Erich in The Iron Claw and it is a true privilege to share his incredible story with all of you," he wrote in a caption to the post.

"Personally, i am thankful for friends, family and too many good times to count," Efron added. "Happy New Year to all of you, cheers to an amazing 2024!"

Von Erich, whom Efron first met at The Iron Claw's world premiere in Dallas back in November, shared a comment on the actor's post complimenting his performance.

Related: See the Stars of The Iron Claw Compared to the Real People They Play

"You were the man for the job and I’ll always consider you a friend," the former pro wrestler, 66, said. "Happy new year buddy."

Von Erich said in 2022 that while he communicated with The Iron Claw's director Sean Durkin about the movie prior to it filming, he did not get in touch with Efron before or during production. Efron has shared in recent months that he found portraying a living person a motivating experience and spoke to "just wanting to make him proud" in a November Q&A session.

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"I got at least an hour and a half of just one-on-one time, and a lot of hugs," he shared of meeting Von Erich at the film's premiere. "And we had a really great conversation just hearing what came across to him in the film. It just meant the world, man. It was so cool, he was so proud of all of us. It was a huge honor for me."

Related: The Tragic True Story Behind Zac Efron Wrestling Movie The Iron Claw: All About the Von Erich Family

The Bear's Allen White plays the late Kerry Von Erich in The Iron Claw. Dickinson and Stanley Simons round out the movie's lead cast as David and Mike Von Erich, respectively. The movie follows the Von Erich brothers as they make professional wrestling history and struggle to live up to high expectations placed upon them by their father, pro wrestler Fritz Von Erich (Holt McCallany).

Efron recently received a star on Los Angeles' Hollywood Walk of Fame as he continued his press tour for the movie.

The Iron Claw is in theaters now.

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