Kevin Von Erich, one of the iconic professional wrestlers of the 1980s, recently landed in Israel just in time for a screening of a new film that unfolds the family story of the Von Erich brothers - The Iron Claw.
Read more:
Zac Efron portrays him, with Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, Lily James, Maura Tierney, and others also starring. However, Von Erich's visit has an equally important purpose: to express support for Israel, as he met with families of hostages and with children evacuated from the Gaza border communities.
This was Van Erich's fifth visit to Israel, having made his first visit in 1985, nearly 40 years ago. In a 2017 interview with Ynet, Van Erich shared his feelings about his first visit and the decision to hold the final fight of his career in Israel, expressing his love for the country and its warm people, which left a big impact on him.
In the 1980s, when Israel still received WCW broadcasts via antennas from Lebanese television stations, former wrestler Fritz Von Erich pushed his sons into the world of professional wrestling.
His greatest dream was that his sons, or at least one of them, would succeed where he had failed—winning the world title and championship belt, and along the way, prove to the industry—which he helped establish and which he felt had disappointed him throughout his life and cheated him, according to his claims, of titles he deserved—that his family was the best in the field.
The Iron Claw trailer
(Photo: Courtesy of Lev Cinema )
The climb up the professional wrestling industry ladder and its success, achieved by the brothers Kevin, David, Kerry, Mike and Chris, brought with them terrible tragedies.
David, Kerry, Mike and Chris died at a young age, three of them by suicide. The couple Doris and Fritz Von Erich lost five of their six sons (the eldest son was killed by electrocution at the age of six), leaving 66-year-old Kevin as the sole survivor.
Sean Durkin (The Nest, Martha Marcy May Marlene), who was a big fan of the Von Erichs in his childhood, wrote and directed with sensitivity and love the film The Iron Claw, based on their lives.
The film brings to the big screen the colorfulness, flamboyance and drama of the world of professional wrestling and the heavy price it exacts, but it also explores themes of masculinity, parenting, the dynamics of a non-conventional family and personal pain.
To portray the Von Erich brothers with their notorious haircuts and latex shorts, the cast includes Efron (as Kevin), Jeremy Allen White (as Kerry), Harris Dickinson (as David) and Stanley Simmons (as Mike). Durkin decided not to deal with the youngest brother, Chris, in order to maintain the tight narrative structure of the plot.
In a joint interview with Ynet featuring the stars of the film, White and Efron, the two shared that before starting work on it, they were not aware of the legacy and complexity behind the family story, and that it involves an unusual mix of immense, inconceivable tragedy, intertwined with personal resilience and a strong brotherly bond.
"The idea of a loss or of wanting to be accepted, approved, validated in some way is a human and pretty universal thing and something that's accessible," Efron says. "I think that we were dealing with all of those things as these brothers during the time of filming. We were trying to walk on this tightrope of there was this competition, but it was kind of a quiet competition and rivalry but then there was also so much love and support."
In one of the scenes in the film, around the breakfast table, father Von Erich tells his sons, "My favorite is Kerry. Then Kevin, David and Mike. But you all know that this ranking can change, so work for it." He demanded from the brothers total commitment and perseverance, which some might argue perpetuates and encourages toxic masculinity.
"It's interesting," explains Efron. "I think these guys are driven to greatness by their father and in somewhat of an overbearing way and it takes over every aspect of their life.
"While that did lead them to greatness in wrestling and to a strong work ethic, and in so many different ways, it wasn't the most well-rounded way to grow up. I think that it's tough and leaves you in a position where you've got to learn things for yourself. You definitely have to probably break the mold from what you're used to, which is what happens to Kevin Von Erich over the course of the story."
White adds that in his opinion, not showing weakness or vulnerability in sports is necessary to a certain extent. "I think if that same kind of behavior starts to bleed into your life outside of athleticism, then maybe it does become problematic in some way, and I think that's what happened for these men at that time," he says.
"They didn't really have the language or the communication skills to breathe properly or to be vulnerable with one another about what was going on in their lives outside of the ring and within their family. That's one of the questions in the film - what's necessary to succeed and what's necessary to persevere in the way that Kevin ultimately does and what affords him that ability to persevere, to live on, to raise his family."
'Make sure you're not sacrificing too much'
On the surface, professional wrestling is a spectacle through and through, yet alongside it there is a dark side, known as a tough sports arena that exacts a physical and psychological toll. Many wrestlers struggle with depression and mental health issues, others with drug or painkiller addictions, often stemming from the injuries their bodies endure, and some suffer from both.
Kerry, David and Mike faced physical problems - David died from a heart attack, caused by severe inflammation of the small intestine and died during a tour in Japan; Kerry's foot was amputated following a motorcycle accident; and Mike suffered from brain damage after contracting toxic shock syndrome during shoulder surgery. Alongside this, as Kevin has shared in many interviews over the years, Kerry and Mike also struggled with drug addiction.
The brothers loved what they were doing, but they knew they were paying a heavy personal price. Is this something you can identify with?
"There's an old saying, 'the greater the sacrifice, the greater the reward.' I believe in certain aspects of that," says Efron. "I've always enjoyed leaving it all on the field, so to speak, and committing 100%. It's something I've always taken pride in but you definitely need to sit back occasionally and take stock. Make sure you're not sacrificing too much."
So many actors I know and admire talk about commitment and discipline and all these things in preparation for work, at least in stories I would hear growing up. I always admired those things," White adds, "but I think you have to be careful to not neglect yourself too much in the process and not neglect the rest of your life. Sometimes, it's tempting, or has been for me at times. You do have to be careful at times because you need to take care of yourself and you take care of those around you."
From the very first trailer of the film, it was possible to notice the significant physical transformation the actors underwent to get into character. Not just props like wigs, peculiar hairstyles and wrestling attire, but also a serious body transformation - bulking up muscle mass and achieving incredible fitness.
For White, the change even resulted in leading a Calvin Klein underwear campaign, with photos of the actor in white boxer briefs and an astonishingly toned body breaking the Internet.
"I think the extension wigs and flamboyant wardrobe and any weight that we put on, at least for me, it was helpful in separating myself a little bit. For the first couple of weeks of training, if I caught myself in the mirror, I'd get nervous," White says and chuckles. "But I think all that stuff is helpful."
All the training and the physical commitment, that's something that you have to do on your own," Efron adds. "So in a sense, that was the biggest way to prep for these roles. I've always really enjoyed seeing the actors that commit to those physical transformations and I've always wondered if I could do one on this level and so it was really nice to see what it takes and to try it out.
"It was hard, but I tell you what; at the end of the day, it's a lot easier to live in the character and sort of let stuff just wash over you. When you're with good actors and you've done the physical prep, so much just fits into place - you already feel like them, you're sore like them, you're tired and craving sweets. It takes care of a lot of the work for you. It's definitely a commitment and all the guys were really committed."
'I don't know if I'm really competitive, but I can be obsessive'
The two actors reveal that they actually did not know each other before the start of filming for the movie. "This was the biggest present I think for all of us," shares White.
"I've been a fan of Zack before obviously, but we kind of met through the process of training. We got to Baton Rouge a little bit early to do all the more physical training and choreography training for the wrestling aspects in the field. That's how we got to know each other, through that process."
Efron says that he was aware of White before and was a fan of the series Shameless in which he stars, "but you never know until you meet somebody."
"When you do a movie like this, you get thrust into an immediate position where you hit it off or you don't. When you start out in the wrestling classes and in training in general, where you're thrown into the ring with somebody. There's nowhere to really hide; you can't. You're in it to win," he says.
"It was Jeremy and the others who were clearly driven and fun and cool and putting their safety on the line. And also, all of us just genuinely having fun. We all became friends really quickly and it's just not always the case. We are very grateful for that time and for the opportunity to work with these boys. I appreciate you for everything."
White, who has become a hot name in Hollywood following the dizzying success and praise for his portrayal of the tormented and introverted chef in the two seasons of the critically acclaimed series The Bear, which also earned him, for the second consecutive time, the award for Lead Actor in a Comedy Series at the latest Golden Globes ceremony.
He brings this totality and commitment to every role he plays - and he claims it's kind of an obsession for him.
"I don't know if I'm really competitive," he explains. "I don't think competitive is the right word but I can be obsessive at times. I think that obsession is certainly something that Carmy and the Von Erichs share."
According to him, you have to be obsessed to succeed in these kinds of industries. "I think Carmy has that same thing, that sort of obsession. If you're approaching a sport at that level, you have to feel that you're the best," he says. "For Carrie, and I think for the rest of the boys, that was incredibly important to them, and something instilled by their father as well.
Meanwhile, reality knocks on the door, and the movie was released as the Gaza war rages on. Concurrently, antisemitism is once again rearing its ugly head around the world, and antisemitic protests in many places, including New York City and London, abound.
A living testament to this was seen on the campuses of major universities in the United States - from Harvard to MIT - where Jewish students, professors and staff fear for their safety due to numerous violent incidents on campuses.
Efron, the son of a Jewish father, clarified that although he is not close to religion in any way, he identifies himself as Jewish. When asked how he feels about the sharp rise in global antisemitism, he immediately responds, "It's devastating. It's sad it's just going to happen in today's world. It shouldn't."