Join The Club
It’s hard to believe, but it’s been nearly a decade since Zac Efron and Alexandra Daddario donned the famous red swimsuits for Baywatch. If we need any evidence that time passes swiftly and that everything comes full circle, just shortly before the movie turns 10, Fox will be premiering its brand new and heavily hyped Baywatch revival TV series at midseason. Ahead of this, Efron is now warning against having to stay so fit.
I would be remiss if I didn’t note it’s well-known Zac Efron’s swimsuit-ready body on Baywatch was a slog for him. He’s spoken out about it before, saying he went so hard in the paint with workouts and eating he got depressed and the experience totally “burned” him “out.” He learned from that experience, and so when he did The Iron Claw a few years later, he figured out how to beef up in a way that was healthier.
These days he has a better perspective on his fitness, and he really wants those working themselves to the limits to take heed, telling Heat Magazine:
I think men, just like women, have to be realistic. The shape I was in for Baywatch, wasn't sustainable. I wasn't happy living the way I was to get in that shape. These days, I place a much bigger priority on my mental health.
While it’s certainly hard to stay Baywatch fit, I do think it’s worth noting the reboot on Fox is in good hands. It stars Stephen Amell, who is known for his Green Arrow physique and whom I have seen doing literal salmon ladders to keep his fitness as in check as possible. If you’ve seen footage of him on the Baywatch set, it’s hard to believe the man’s in his mid-forties; he’s got some Tom Brady genes going on.
People hang onto body fat at different rates, and the diligence it took on the 2017 movie makes it clear the level of consistency and sacrifice it took Zac Efron to maintain was not healthy. He said it took some soul-searching to get to a place where he’s more comfortable with himself and what he wants.
It's taken me a while to get there, but my biggest motivation is to be happy in both my professional and personal life. For too long, I only focused on work and I neglected my personal life.
He moved to Australia and away from the Hollywood limelight years ago, and more recently he’s been in the news lately because he’s building a sustainable compound with the help of designer Joost Bakker that’s being dubbed a “Futurecave.” I doubt we'll be getting a cameo from him in Fox's upcoming production given he feels about how he punished his body in the pursuit of physical perfection.
Believe it or not, Baywatch has always been a grueling job; even the OG cast attests to that. But it's also iconic, aspirational, and fun. The idea of the show coming back was so popular that thousands of people showed up for a casting call, and there's a whole new generation of men and women who will "only run in slow motion now" as the show gears up. Hopefully, they have a better relationship with fitness than Efron did when Fox's reboot hits the 2026 TV schedule this fall.
