Toxic masculinity and wrestling: Zac Efron on his role in The Iron Claw
Directed by Sean Durkin, The Iron Claw takes inspiration from the lives of the Von Erichs – a renowned professional wrestling family in the US.
The A24 film centres on wrestling, of course, but also takes a deep dive into the impact of toxic masculinity and the refusal to examine emotions.
“That’s one of the things that Sean spoke about early on in this process that drew me to the story”, Zac Efron says.
The 36-year-old actor plays Kevin in the film – the oldest of the Von Erich siblings who has dedicated his life to professional wrestling under his father’s wing.
Efron adds: “Examining it, whatever you want to call it, being a guy is hard to do and I think Sean really accomplished it with this movie.”
His performance has been widely acclaimed by critics but he failed to pick up any nominations at the Oscars, Golden Globes or BAFTAs.
Zac Efron in The Iron Claw. Pic: Brian Roedel/A24
Despite this, The Greatest Showman actor is glad that it’s resonating with audiences.
“I think everyone’s going to walk away moved or feeling in some capacity – and that’s everything,” he says.
Sean Durkin, who previously wrote and directed Martha Marcy May Marlene starring Elizabeth Olsen and Sarah Paulson, also penned the script and led production on The Iron Claw.
The idea was sparked from his “all-consuming” love for professional wrestling when he was younger.
The 42-year-old says the Von Erich brothers “revolutionised wrestling” but their fictionalised family story showcases an “extremely misguided expression of masculinity that has harmed our culture in ways we are only just beginning to understand”.
Drawing similarities from the real family, the Von Erichs in The Iron Claw are dedicated to their craft.
Read more from Sky News:
Why mums are ‘microdosing’ class A drug
Ozzy Osbourne hits out at ‘antisemite’ Kanye for ‘stealing sample’
Harris Dickinson, Zac Efron, Stanley Simons, Jeremy Allen White (left to right). Pic: Eric Chakeen/a24
Fritz Von Erich, the patriarch played by Holt McCallany, holds onto the possibility of his family winning the NWA World Heavyweight Championship belt. This overpowering desire for success blinds him to the devastating misfortunes that unfold within his household.
The director calls the wrestling drama a “true Greek tragedy” that is about family at its heart.
He says: “I think my favourite reaction is often that people leave the cinema, and they call their brother or sister.”
Unthinkable losses occur in the film – the storyline echoing true unfortunate events that occurred in the family.
And although The Iron Claw depicts five Von Erich brothers, in truth, there were six.
Between 1959 and 1995, five of the six siblings – Kerry, David, Chris, Mike and Jack Jr – had died suddenly and soon the family became synonymous with the rumoured “Von Erich curse”.
Kevin Von Erich, the only surviving sibling, rejects the idea of a curse but showed his support for the film by attending the Los Angeles premiere.
Speaking on Chris Jericho’s podcast in December, the now 66-year-old reiterated that the film is made for entertainment and that despite his dad being seen as “pretty rank” in the film, “he was an honourable, good man”.
The Von Erich family were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009.
The Iron Claw is in cinemas now.
Thousands of members of actors’ trade union Equity are being asked whether they would support industrial action over artificial intelligence protections.
The organisation has launched an indicative ballot among about 7,000 members working in film and TV.
Performers are being asked whether they are prepared to refuse to be digitally scanned on set in order to secure adequate artificial intelligence protections.
It will be the first time the performing arts and entertainment trade union has asked this whole section of its membership to vote in a ballot.
The Hollywood strikes took place in 2023. File pic: AP
The announcement follows the Hollywood strikes in 2023, when members of Equity’s sister union in the US, SAG-AFTRA, and writers, went on strike over issues including AI.
Video game actors in the US also protested over the use of AI, ending almost a year of industrial action earlier in 2025.
Equity’s ballot opens on Thursday and runs for two weeks, and will show the level of support the union has for action short of a strike.
Another statutory ballot would have to be made before any industrial action is taken.
“While tech companies get away with stealing artists’ likeness or work, and the government and decision makers fret over whether to act, unions including Equity are at the forefront of the fight to ensure working people are protected from artificial intelligence misuse,” Equity general secretary Paul W Fleming said in a statement.
“If bosses can’t ensure someone’s likeness and work won’t be used without their consent, why should performers consent to be digitally scanned in the first place?”
Mr Fleming said the ballot would give members the opportunity to “send a clear message to the industry: that it is a basic right of performers to have autonomy over their own personhood and identity”.
The union has no choice but to recommend members support industrial action, he said.
“It’s time for the bosses to step away from the brink and offer us a package, including on AI protections, which respects our members,” added Mr Fleming.
The hotly anticipated Spotify Wrapped is revealing our top tracks, artists and albums for 2025.
But how does the streaming service calculate personalised summaries of users’ listening habits and rank the UK’s hottest artists?
Here’s a look at how your data is used.
The platform describes the annual statistics as “a chance to look back on your year in sound”.
It says data is captured between January and mid-November on every account, although it mostly excludes anything streamed in private mode. (Don’t worry, your passion for the Spice Girls can be kept secret.)
Wrapped presents personalised listening statistics, which Spotify calls the “real story of your year of listening”, alongside global figures for comparison.
The streaming service says Minutes Listened reflects the actual time spent listening to audio on the platform.
Once a user streams at least 30 tracks, Spotify generates a list of Your Top Songs. Similarly, Your Top Artists ranks artists based on total minutes listening to a particular performer.
Other metrics identify the top genres users have played, as well as podcasts and audiobooks ranked by total minutes listened. And if you’ve listened to at least 70% of tracks on a record, you’ll see top albums too.
Spotify also creates Your Listening Age, a guesstimate of your age based on the era of the music “you feel most connected to”.
The streaming service says the statistic is calculated using a five-year span of music which users engaged with more than other listeners of a similar age.
Spotify has been summing up 2025’s most listened to tracks. Pic: Spotify
Swift vs Bunny
Pop superstar Taylor Swift has been named the UK’s most-streamed artist on Spotify for the third year in a row.
But she dropped out of the top spot in the global rankings, coming second to Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny, who secured more than 19.8 billion streams. Third were The Weeknd, followed by Drake and Billie Eilish.
Bad Bunny’s LP Debi Tirar Mas Fotos was the most listened-to album worldwide.
Read more from Sky News:
Sabrina Carpenter fury at video
Drake’s lawsuit dismissed
Spotify hikes UK prices
Spotify revealed Drake was the UK’s second most-listened to artist, followed by Sabrina Carpenter in third, The Weeknd in fourth and Billie Eilish in fifth.
Despite being the most listened-to artist, Swift failed to break into the UK’s top five most listened-to songs and albums of the year.
Alex Warren’s Ordinary was the most-streamed song, and Short ‘N’ Sweet, released by Carpenter last year, the top album.
-
Sports2 years agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports3 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Sports3 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment3 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment1 year agoHere are the best electric bikes you can buy at every price level in October 2024