Zac Efron has some explaining to do. The actor has fans wondering what happened to his face after a recent cover story to promote his new movie, The Iron Claw. Fans couldn’t help but notice that Zac’s face looks a lot different these days — in fact, some people think he looks totally unrecognizable. This has led to a lot of buzz online, including some Instagram users comparing him to Lord Farquaad from Shrek. Yikes!
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Zac is promoting his upcoming movie, 'The Iron Claw.'
When Entertainment Weekly posted video footage of the actor alongside his costars, the conversation quickly shifted from his acting ability to his face.
"I keep thinking there's a Chad filter on his face. Jeez," wrote one Instagram commenter.
"He's looking like a minecraft character," another person chimed in.
Fans can't believe how much his face has changed.
Users on X (formerly Twitter) reacted in a similar way, and it seems fans are already missing the way Zac used to look.
"I know its not his fault, but i miss Zac's old face," one user wrote.
"What happened to Zac’s face will be studied in the future," another commenter shared.
Some fans stood up for Zac and his face.
One Instagram user tried to defend the changes to Zac's face, attempting to shut down any negative comments.
"Before everyone comments about it, Z said that his jaw shattered in an accident and he had to get it restructured which is supposedly why it looks different now," the person pointed out.
This is true — he's even talked about it himself!
Zac has previously talked about the speculation he got plastic surgery.
In a 2022 interview with Men’s Health, Zac addressed plastic surgery rumors that the news outlet dubbed "jaw-gate." At the time, he explained that he had an accident in 2013 and broke his jaw, subsequently leading to his facial muscles having to work harder.
His masseter muscles weren’t working the same way, even though Zac was working with a physical therapist for a while. "The masseters just grew," he said. "They just got really, really big."
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Some fans aren't buying the injury story.
Although the accident may play a part in the facial difference even 10 years later, people are still calling shenanigans on that theory.
"False narrative once again, his accident was in 2013! Please learn the facts or stop making excuses for him lol," one person replied.
Whether or not you take Zac's word for what happened, it's impossible to deny that he looks less and less like Troy Bolton from High School Musical with every passing year.
