Zac Efron opens up about how his body transformation led to other problems. Image Source: People
Zac Efron opens up about how his body transformation led to other problems.
Actor Zac Efron spoke to Men’s Health magazine for the October issue and revealed that he had to put his body through hell to get the chiseled look for 2017’s Baywatch and stated that while his body looked appealing on-screen, the process of achieving it was very crucial and affected his mental health.
According to Zac Efron, who went to considerable efforts to get the Baywatch body, the training regimen was so demanding that he experienced bouts of melancholy and sleeplessness as a result. Zac revealed that a component of his regimen included taking powerful diuretics, often known as water pills, which aid in the body's removal of extra water and sodium. The actor admitted that he is unsure if the appearance is now still feasible.
The actor continued that there is just too little water in the skin, describing it as fake. Zac said that the body almost looks like it’s computer-generated imagery and it required him to have Lasix, powerful diuretics, which he explained that he does not need to do, but he would rather prefer to have an extra 2-3% of the body fat.
Not only achieving the body was intense, the filming and the preparation for the next day of the shoot were pretty intense too Zac Efron explained that he ate three meals a day, and trained a lot regardless of what was coming his way. He explained that even if they were filming late at night, he was committed to waking up at 4 AM to hit the gym and clarified that the reason why he is opening up about the intense regime is not that he is complaining and he does not want the audience to think it either but it’s just because the whole process started to take a toll on him physically and mentally and he feels like he needs to be honest about the process.
Zac Efron continued that he started to develop insomnia, fell into pretty bad depression for a long time, and something about that experience burned him out. He added that he had a hard time re-centering and it was finally revealed that it was because of the powerful diuretics that he had been taking for too long and it sort of messed something up for him. According to Men’s Health magazine, it took Zac Efron almost six months post-Baywatch filming to start feeling like himself again, and, of course, the actor had to make necessary adjustments when it came to his fitness and diet.
Zac revealed that he prefers intermittent fasting and is concentrating on a training and recovery regimen that includes foam rolling, stretching, and ice baths. The actor talked about ice baths. He said that it’s the favorite part of the day for him, explaining that before is when it’s most miserable, but when one finally just commits and jumps into the bathtub, from that point forward, they seem to have conquered something deep within them and they do not want to get cold. He concluded that the simplest philosophy for anyone is that anything they don’t want to do, make it a habit.
During the interview, Zac Efron also addressed the plastic surgery rumors that circulated after a picture of the actor went viral in April 2021. Zac said that the changes that people saw and pointed out in his facial shape were actually related to a jaw injury and subsequent physical therapy. The actor explained during the interview to Men's Health that he had cracked his jaw after slipping while racing around his house in socks and crashing with a granite fountain. The actor added that while he was recovering under the care of a professional physical therapist who was there to help him recover and look after the injury, there were certain muscles in his face and jaw for which he had to work harder in response to the injury. Zac Efron followed by explaining that the injury and recovery process particularly affected the masseters, which are located on the side of the face from the cheekbone to the lower jaw and are utilized for chewing.
Zac Efron claimed he was unaware of the web rumors concerning his looks until his mother contacted him to inquire if he had undergone plastic surgery. Since becoming a "High School Musical" sensation at the age of 17, he has made an effort to stay away from social media, save for when he is promoting certain projects, he told Men's Health. He said if he starts to value what other people thought of him to the extent that they may think he does, he definitely wouldn't be able to do this work.
