'It was intense': 'The Iron Claw' cast discusses mental and physical preparation with 'Today' host Craig Melvin

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: ‘The Iron Claw’ cast Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, and Stanley Simmons recently sat down with ‘Today’ Craig Melvin to talk about their upcoming new film and how mentally and physically they prepared for the movie.

The cast members chatted with Melvin who welcomed the incredibly talented stars and described their special project, ‘The Iron Claw.’

Melvin explained that the movie tells a true story of the Von Eric family, a professional wrestling dynasty back in the early 80s and 90s.

During their conversation, White also opened up about ‘The Bear’ Season 3 and revealed that it will get in motion probably in February or March next year.

‘The Iron Claw’ cast shares heavy story about upcoming film

‘The Iron Claw’ cast Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, and Stanley Simmons opened up about the joy they found in a heavy story and the physical and mental preparation they went through.

Efron said, “We found out about the story through reading the script and through investigation the Von Eric legacy. It really is a crazy true story.”

He continued, “And yeah, there are these guys like changed wrestling, changed the face of wrestling. It’s amazing.”

Melvin went on to question the cast about the “physical transformation” and asked, “The physical transformation that each of you had to undergo to pull this off, that was quite the feat in itself. How did you do it?”

White responded, “A lot of work, a lot of eating, a lot of lifting heavy things. These guys were big men, and we were trying to catch up.”

Efron chimed in, “So that physical preparation was, it was intense, but it really paid off.”

Melvin again pointed, “And it wasn’t just the physical transformation, I mean I would imagine the mental transformation, the emotional transformation as well had to take quite the toll.”

White said, “Yeah, it is heavy. The tragedy and kind of like brutality that fell upon this family, it’s really unbelievable. But I think we tried to highlight the celebration and the love and the bond between these brothers.”

Why did Zac Efron wear sunglasses on ‘Today’ show?

During Zac Efron’s appearance on the ‘Today’ show, he was reportedly wearing sunglasses, but it was later revealed that was due to an eye infection.

Craig Melvin laughed as he introduced the cast adding, “Zac Efron is a legitimate, bona fide Hollywood superstar but that is not the reason he is in shades right now.”

The ‘High School Musical’ actor then apologized adding, “No, I’m sorry, man. I feel weird being in shades.”

He continued, “I just have a bit of an eye infection. But I really wanted to be here. It’s such a good movie, and I want to come see you guys and tell everyone about it.”

Scheduled for release on December 22, ‘The Iron Claw’ recounts the genuine narrative of the Von Erich brothers who etched their names in wrestling history during the 1980s.

The storyline revolves around their struggles to grapple with a sequence of personal tragedies spanning from 1959 to 1993, now commonly known as the "Von Erich curse."