The Iron Claw: Jeremy Allen White gained 40 pounds of muscle for the role of Kerry Von Erich

Jeremy Allen White is the hot, new, up-and-comer thanks to FX’s The Bear. Ever since the show premiered, the actor has stated that he’d been offered roles from the indie studio darling A24. One of the scripts sent his way was that of the story of the wrestling family, the Von Erichs, with the biopic, The Iron Claw.

According to Variety, once White chose the film, he put on 40 pounds of muscle to play the part of Kerry Von Erich. The movie also stars Zac Efron and Harris Dickinson and is directed by Sean Durkin. White talked about the parallels of his character from The Bear, Chef Carmy, and Kerry Von Erich, whose career had suffered after a motorcycle accident left him with an amputated foot and would eventually end his own life.

“There’s something human about never feeling like you are really your own man. All great drama is about family, whether it’s blood or not. It’s about acceptance, it’s about belonging, and just getting away from loneliness,” White explains.

This career explosion surprised even him since he’d already been on the hit show Shameless for eleven seasons. “I love ‘Shameless’ so much. I love everybody that was a part of it, and the experience was incredible. But I’m not sure if shows are meant to go that long… There was a period where I stopped feeling like an actor and I started feeling like I was just here to do this show. It was an upsetting head space to be in. When it was going to end, I was questioning: maybe I do just exist on this show. What else is there? Am I an actor? I was definitely having a lot of doubt when I was finishing ‘Shameless.’”

The Iron Claw is slated for release in 2023.