‘Iron Claw’ premiere draws Hollywood stars Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White to North Texas
Kevin Von Erich has seen his fair share of tragedy in life, but there was something beautiful about seeing his family’s wrestling legacy on the silver screen.
“I got tears in my eyes a couple times,” Von Erich said. “I don’t cry, you know. Not that there’s anything wrong with it, I just don’t.”
Von Erich was just one of the many stars at Dallas’ Texas Theatre on Wednesday night for the world premiere of “The Iron Claw,” the biographical picture about his famous North Texas professional wrestling family.
The movie, produced by A24 Films, tells the story of the Von Erich clan’s rise to wrestling immortality in the ‘80s, before everything came crashing down in the next decade. The sports drama drops in theaters nationwide on Dec. 22.
[PHOTOS: The Von Erich family in the wrestling ring captured by Star-Telegram cameras]
Von Erich was surrounded by family at the premiere and told the Star-Telegram it was at times surreal seeing himself and his brothers in the movie.
There are a few lines in the movie from Jeremy Allen White as Kerry Von Erich and Harris Dickinson as David Von Erich, that sound as if it was happening in real-life, Von Erich said.
“I take my hat off to them,” he said. “Especially Efron, I think he’s going to get an award out of this I hope.”
Von Erich would be referring to actor Zac Efron, who portrays him in the movie.
Efron admits he didn’t know much about the Von Erich story before receiving the script, but said he was in good hands on set.
“After talking to Sean [Durkin], our director, he’s a true fan,” Efron said. “So he knew everything there was to know about them or is to know about them.”
“The Bear” star Jeremy Allen White also didn’t know much about the Von Erichs going into the movie, but quickly found his footing.
White, who portrays Kerry Von Erich in the film, said after speaking with Durkin about the role, he turned to Vice TV’s “Dark Side of the Ring” to learn more about the family. The season 1 episode 4 titled “The Last Days of the Von Erichs” sheds light on the tragedy-stricken family.
“That was my introduction to them, was in preparation for the movie and for the role,” White said.
The Von Erich family was wrestling royalty in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s until tragedy struck. By the time Fritz Von Erich died in 1997, five of his six sons preceded him in death.
David Von Erich died from enteritis in 1984, Mike Von Erich died by overdose in 1987, Chris Von Erich shot himself in 1991, Kerry Von Erich committed suicide in 1993 and first-born Jack Barton Adkisson Jr. drowned at just 6 years old in 1959.
Kevin Von Erich is the sole surviving son of the Von Erich wrestling clan.
A prominent set in “The Iron Claw” is the Dallas Sportatorium, the now defunct sports arena that saw its fair share of high-profile wrestling matches in the ‘80s and ‘90s.
It took writer/director Sean Durkin and production designer James Price a significant amount of time to recreate the Sportatorium, first combing through photos and videos before actually visiting what remains of the Dallas site. In 2001, a fire burned down the historic building.
“It was actually really hard to find a space that matched well,” Durkin said. “We finally found an old furniture showroom and gutted it and built it in there.”
The movie gets its name from the iconic wrestling move first used by family patriarch Fritz Von Erich.
Primarily used as a finishing move, it’s done by collapsing a hand on an opponent’s head and squeezing the life out of them.
The move is used several times in the film, but as for who among the actors did it best, Harris Dickinson (David Von Erich) shared his feelings on the matter.
“Zac, he’s the best at everything,” Dickinson said. “I have to say that ... maybe its me [laughs].”
“The Iron Claw” releases in theaters nationwide on Dec. 22.
This story was originally published November 9, 2023 at 4:49 AM.
