On January 25, the trailer for “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile” dropped and the internet lost its mind. The trailer shows Zac Efron as the American serial killer, kidnapper, and rapist Ted Bundy. People were shocked that the once Disney star was now going to play one of the most infamous serial killers in American history. Efron’s most well-known roles are usually positive ones; a popular jock, a charming businessman, and the male lead in multiple romantic comedies. To see him as this horrifying man is rightfully difficult, yet Efron’s acting skills should not be taken for granted.
Twitter users were fighting over Efron’s portrayal due to his physicality. Zac Efron is undoubtedly attractive and was once the biggest teen heartthrob of the 2000s, which can make it hard for his fans to see him take on such a difficult role. I think the casting of Efron was a wonderful choice. The scariest part about Ted Bundy is that he attracted and seduced these women into letting their guard down. He was smart and charming, which makes people rightfully uneasy. The people who want to romanticize Ted Bundy simply because Efron is playing him need to take a reality check. Speaking of reality check, some parts of Twitter have begun to sexualize Efron in his Bundy role. Bundy was convicted for thirty homicides of young women and girls, please do not mix up Zac Efron being attractive with the actual serial murderer and rapist he is playing. Efron is going to play into the luring characteristics of Bundy to highlight the horrors that he has committed.
Throughout the trailer Bundy is portrayed as a charming mysterious young man. It isn’t until the last second you see him dragging a topless female corpse through the woods that you remember who he is really playing. I believe and hope this movie will not romanticize Ted Bundy because Zac Efron is playing him.
Check out the trailer below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v38MNmDcgrM
See Netflix’s statement here: https://twitter.com/netflix/status/1089950741064601600