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Zac Efron Defends His Choice To Star As Ted Bundy As Fans Slam The Film For “Sexualising” The Serial Killer
31 January 2019, 15:58
Zac Efron stars as serial killer, Ted Bundy in new movie Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile but viewers have criticised him for glorifying the murderer.
Zac Efron has hit back after being criticised for “glorifying” serial killer Ted Bundy in his latest film, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile.
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His latest role is a far cry from appearing as Troy Bolton in High School Musical, but Zac revealed that he gave the part careful consideration before accepting.
Zac told Variety, “Initially, I had reservations about playing a serial killer. I've seen people make horror films like this before, and it seems like an aggressive play to separate yourself from a perceived image.
"This movie was really about a human being, somebody that perhaps I would have been friends with. And a love story from a very unique perspective.
"I've never seen that before. It's intriguing to me. I think it's more psychological and even more kind of a mindf**k."
Fans took to Twitter to criticise the choice to “sexualise” Ted Bundy:
Can we not sexulize Ted Bundy?
— Kayla Stetzel (@KaylaStetzel) January 26, 2019
He raped, murdered, and decapitated women and had sex with their dead bodies. Not here for this hyper-sexualized Zac Efron film.
I know the youth of twitter will obsess over him, and I’d prefer not to read thirst tweets about a serial murderer
With the new movie with Zac Efron playing Ted Bundy, I truly hope people don’t start to glorify him. He was a man who used his charm and looks to murder and rape women. He. Was. Sick.
— M💐 (@MotherOfDoggons) January 26, 2019
y’all really about to glorify and sexualize a serial murderer, rapist, and necrophiliac just cause zac efron is playing ted bundy and turn this into high school musical 2019 pic.twitter.com/dAT2riJLw5
— bde (@wontreehiII) January 26, 2019
Meanwhile others praise the casting of Zac Efron as Ted Bundy was notoriously very charming and won his victims’ trust:
What is so difficult to understand? They used Zac Efron to play Ted Bundy because he plays 'charming' so well. That's how Ted Bundy lured his victims 🤦♀️ it's not 'romanticizing' a murderer, it's potraying him accurately. Women loved him! That was his thing...
— Rebekka-Mary Darling (@RebekkaMary) January 27, 2019
People who are mad over Zac Efron portraying Ted Bundy in the movie because he’s ‘too attractive’ really have VERY little understanding of what made Ted so dangerous. People love to get mad about things they’re not educated about don’t they?
— Georgia 💀 (@georgiamariexo) January 27, 2019
Zac Efron is the perfect person to play Ted Bundy. Not all serial killers are creepy/ disgusting, they can be anyone, they live among us. How do people not realise this.
— claudialawlor (@lawlor_claudia) January 28, 2019
alright apparently this is an unpopular opinion but i don’t care so here we go. the fact that Zac Efron is playing Ted Bundy makes perfect sense. they’re not sexualizing or romanticizing a serial killer. that was already done when he was on trial.
— open window maniac (@_padawanski) January 26, 2019
Zac added to E!, “The most exciting thing for me was being able to sort of lend that Ted Bundy charisma to the part. I hope that comes across the most."
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