Zac Efron Talks Insomnia And Depression Over His 'Baywatch' Body

Since snagging the role of Troy Bolton in Disney Chanel's "High School Musical," Zac Efron had earned the title of one of Hollywood's bad boys. However, it wasn't until 2017, when he starred in the remake of the 1990s series "Baywatch," that he was established as a sex symbol.

With hard rock abs and a super toned body with almost no percentage of fat, Efron was the epitome of sexy, causing his female fans to fawn over his impeccable looks. However, looking back at the time in his career and what it took to achieve such an unbelievable body frame, the California native is not sure he would ever go through it again.

Efron recently sat down with Men's Health for their October 2022 issue and opened up about the rigorous training he underwent to take on the body of Matt Brody in the action comedy film. The actor, who revealed to the interviewer that he was currently trying to bulk up for an undisclosed role, said he won't prepare for the new project the way he did for "Baywatch."

"That Baywatch look, I don’t know if that’s really attainable. There’s just too little water in the skin. Like, it’s fake; it looks CGI’d," Efron confessed. He explained that he wasn't willing to do what was needed to achieve that look because of its rigor. In his words, "...that required Lasix, powerful diuretics, to achieve. So I don’t need to do that. I much prefer to have an extra, you know, 2 to 3 percent body fat."

Aside from the diuretics, "The Greatest Showman" star revealed that he overtrained and was subjected to eating the same three meals every day for the period of filming. To make things worse, he wasn't catching enough sleep because after a long day of filming, he had to wake up by 4:00 am to begin training again.

At first, Efron was thrilled about the role and the idea of the hard work he would put in to bring it to life. However, he began feeling the adverse effect during his recovery. "I started to develop insomnia," he recalled, "and I fell into a pretty bad depression for a long time. Something about that experience burned me out. I had a really hard time recentering. Ultimately they chalked it up to taking way too many diuretics for way too long, and it messed something up."

The 34-year-old noted that he wasn't trying to complain about the role but just wanted to let folks in on the reality of how devastating it can be to achieve the "Baywatch" body. According to him, it wasn't until six months after filming that he sort of regained his true self. But that again wasn't without some hiccups.

With "Baywatch" and other movie roles behind him, thanks to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Efron retreated to Australia for a sabbatical and began rethinking his approach to fitness. The Daytime Emmy Award winner, who had been obsessed with fitness as a kid, running with his father, decided to take a step back.

"At one point, that was a dream of mine—what it would be like to not have to be in shape all the time," he explained to the publication. "What if I just say, ‘Fuck it’ and let myself go? So I tried it, and I was successful."

Unfortunately, it didn't turn out to be what Efron expected, as he felt "miserable." He admitted, "My body would not feel healthy; I just didn’t feel alive. I felt bogged down and slow." Even when he was training, he couldn't help but think about sweating it out.

"I enjoy pushing myself and really laying it all out, to the point where I kind of have to do it. Otherwise, I don’t feel like myself," Efron shared. After coming to the realization, the former child star opted for a more balanced and mindful approach to fitness. He has found comfort in techniques like foam rolling, self-massage, yoga, and ice baths.

During the interview, Efron also touched on the rumors that he had had plastic surgery on his face. The actor sparked concerns in April 2021 after a picture of him surfaced as part of the “Earth Day! The Musical” program, which aired on Facebook.

Efron's face looked slightly swollen with his chin looking squared, causing fans to think he went under the knife. More than a year after the controversy, he shared that the disfigured chin was a result of a shattered jaw he endured when he smacked his chin against the granite corner of a fountain.

He explained that he had been running through his house in socks when he slipped. He lost consciousness, and when he woke discovered that his chin bone was hanging off his face. Efron noted that his facial muscles grew "really, really big" and he had to work with a physical therapist to stop the growth.

As for how he felt about #jawgate and the plastic surgery rumors, Efron said, "If I valued what other people thought of me to the extent that they may think I do. I definitely wouldn’t be able to do this work."