Where’s Kevin Von Erich now?
Where’s Kevin Von Erich now? As mentioned, Kevin Von Erich is the last surviving member of the Von Erich brothers and formally retired from wrestling by the end of 1995. These days, he lives a relatively quiet life, off the grid, in Hawaii. But he still reflects fondly on his time in Texas where, several times a year, the brothers would also draw crowds of 20,000 or more to venues like Reunion Arena, the Cotton Bowl and Texas Stadium. “I love it so much,” Von Erich told local news site WFAA. “I haven’t been there for 18 years. Everything comes right back.”
According to A24’s synopsis of the film Iron Claw: “The true story of the inseparable Von Erich brothers, who made history in the intensely competitive world of professional wrestling in the early 1980s. Through tragedy and triumph, under the shadow of their domineering father and coach, the brothers seek larger-than-life immortality on the biggest stage in sports.”
In discussing the film with Extra TV, Kevin said it had been a long time—39 years—since the events depicted in the film but “it all just came back to me to look at it in a movie, and I’ll tell ya there are some touching scenes,” he said. Kevin added that Zac Efron, who plays him in the movie, didn’t need to get any advice from him, saying: “He is a big, big star, he didn’t need any help from me on that. He would’ve been polite and listened to me but he didn’t need it. He’s really something else.”
On taking on the role, Efron told Entertainment Weekly that “The boys are all very still and quite stoic at times,” of watching the Von Erichs on screen. “But I think it’s a bit of a defense mechanism they built up. They put these walls up to the outside world in order to stay strong enough to persevere through everything they had to do. They had to be perfect all the time.”
The fact that Kevin is still alive made Efron consider his character in a more nuanced way, as well. “Playing somebody who’s real and still alive adds an extra layer of complexity, I think,” the High School Musical actor said during a Q&A of the movie. “As an actor, it’s a fine line. You want to do everything you can to make sure it’s an honest portrayal of the character, without going so hard that it’s an impersonation. And for this movie, just knowing that he was going to be out there and would ultimately see it, I didn’t know if I was going to do a good job or not.”
“It was very motivating. It was incredibly motivating,” he continued. “That would keep me going in the gym and in the ring, just wanting to make him proud.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, help is available. Call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 for free and confidential counseling.
The Iron Claw is in cinemas now.
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