Ted Bundy role left Zac Efron struggling to separate himself off set

In a new interview, Zac Efron recently admitted that he couldn’t turn off his Ted Bundy mindset off-set when filming the serial killer’s biopic, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.

According to Daily Mail, Efron creepily claimed it was “almost impossible” and turn off his role.

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“I’ve never played a role in which I really have to separate myself from when I go home at night, and it was almost impossible,” Efron says. “I’d like to say that I did it successfully but I couldn’t.”

While that sentiment rings eerie and dark, Efron also says that he really had no intention of glamorizing the acts of Bundy.

“I really wasn’t interested in playing a serial killer, I’m not in the business of glamorizing a horrendous person or his acts, but there is something unique about the way we went into the psyche of Ted, and his longtime girlfriend Liz,” Efron continues.

“It’s a different perspective and not your run-of-the-mill serial killer cliché, body count gets higher and higher, and oh the guy you always knew did it, did it. This is what it was like to be there on the day, we didn’t know if he was innocent or guilty, we just saw Ted Bundy through their eyes.”

That said, Efron’s reservations are nothing new. Previously, the actor spoke about making sure he didn’t celebrate the killer in his portrayal amid backlash for the trailer. 

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Additionally, director Joe Berlinger defended the film after all the push back, saying that if people actually see the film, they will realize filmmakers are doing the exact opposite of glorifying him.

The biopic focuses on Bundy’s dual life. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile is told through the lens of Bundy’s ex-girlfriend Elizabeth Kloepfer, played by Lily Collins. The film also features Metallica’s James Hetfield as Officer Bob Hayward.

The film will premiere on Netflix May 3. You can check out the new, and definitely more creepy, trailer below.

What do you think about Efron’s comments concerning his hard time separating himself from his serial killer character? Sound off in the comments below.

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