Extremely Wicked: Zac Efron reveals 3 behind-the-scenes details from film

With only a few days to go before Netflix releases its crime thriller, Extremely Wicked about Ted Bundy. The film’s star, Zac Efron, discusses what to expect.

We’re only days away from the international release of Netflix’s highly-anticipated crime thriller, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Vile and Evil, which stars Zac Efron in the title role of Ted Bundy. The film has been receiving a great deal of buzz at film festivals, with much of the praise being directed towards Efron’s performance.

With the release date so close, Zac Efron has been making the rounds on the press circuit to get people excited about the film and he has revealed some interesting tidbits about the movie.

Last week I reported how Efron struggled to separate himself from the darkness of the role but now we have even more information about what to expect when Extremely Wicked finally releases.

3. The fine line between impersonation and transformation

Remember how Charlize Theron played notable female serial killer Aileen Wuornos in a film? Did you ever expect to see an interview where she and Zac Efron talk about their shared experiences portraying murderers? I didn’t but that’s exactly what happened on The Graham Norton Show (see clip below)!

It is an important distinction when you think about it. They talk about how getting into character is about more than just mimicking physical traits. You need to understand who these people are internally to exhibit what they act like externally. All behaviors are motivated by some intrinsic value.

Everything we do is motivated by something. Yes you can copy someone’s walking style but until you understand why they hold their body a certain way or what makes someone tick and why, you can’t really transform into them.

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2. Lily Collins is amazing.

Elizabeth Kloepfer was Ted Bundy’s girlfriend, a woman who thought she knew him inside and out, yet was forced to experience the horror of his crimes first hand. Golden Globe-nominated actress, Lily Collins, will be playing the role of Liz in Extremely Wicked.

Zac has said in interviews she is fantastic in the role. On The Ellen Show he talked about how talented she was and they also discuss the way Bundy was very “clean-cut”. He was a great guy to her and it was actually Liz who got him to confess in the end.

Efron didn’t stop there, he continued to praise Collin’s performance in an interview with E! News:

"I remember a few days into filming, I just came to work to watch on set because [Lily] was having scenes with Haley Joel Osment, and I was watching her performance and I was blown away."

Needless to say, I’m certainly excited to see what Lily Collins brings to the role and how these two will play off one another in the movie.

1. The movie doesn’t glamorize Ted Bundy.

Whenever there is a dramatization of a real-life horror, whether it be murder, assault or something equally as devastating, you always have to wonder if part of what the filmmakers are doing could be seen as exploitative.

I think, no matter what the intentions are, when you’re dealing with someone’s murder and turning it into a form of entertainment, there will be a degree of glamorization – it’s unavoidable. But it does help when filmmakers at least go the extra mile to transform the story into something that doesn’t marinate in the violence, especially when real victims and their families are still alive to witness their life story being used as fodder to entertain the public.

In an interview with Ellen Degeneres, Zac expressed the purpose of Extremely Wicked was to tell “a very introspective, intelligent, look and peek inside the mind of two specific people, Liz, his long-time girlfriend who knew him better than anyone, and the general public, who thought he was innocent.”

Extremely Wicked will be a unique take on the Ted Bundy case that focuses less on the atrocious acts of violence he committed and more on how he was able to convince people he was innocent for so long.

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Vile and Evil will be available to stream on Netflix this Friday, May 3rd. 

Are you ready for Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Vile and Evil? What do you think of Zac Efron tackling Ted Bundy? Let us know in the comments.