Zac Efron fans were stunned as a new trailer for his new film Gold showed him in a different light.
The former High School Musical star, 34, was a long way from his old preppy boy look as he is seen covered in dirt and injuries and sporting a scruffy beard and tattered clothes in the short clip.
His piercing blue eyes are more evident with the dirt and dishevelled look he is sporting.
The actor dropped the trailer on his social media pages and opened up about how "brutal" filming for the production was.
Alongside the clip, he wrote: "Filming this was brutal— but I love this sh**. So proud of everyone involved and thank you to everyone who has watched so far."
The film was shot in the South Australian desert in the summer, meaning conditions were far from ideal.
Zac told the camera in the post: "I've never been anywhere quite like it to be honest. When we drove out to the location I was blown away by the scenery, the vibe and the feel of the area.
"It was unbelievably beautiful. It was mesmerising. Very desolate and dry and very harsh conditions."
The movie's director and co-writer Anthony Hayes added: "It was a real challenge. It was probably the most brutal shoot I've done in 35 years. it was extraordinary."
As the camera went back to Zac, the Hollywood actor explained how the cast and crew had to battle huge dust storms and said they filmed through "some of the gnarliest conditions" he has ever witnessed.
However, he said the conditions helped the crew to show "solidarity" and teamwork to complete the production.
Filming for the movie took place in November 2020.
According to IMDB, Zac takes up the role of a desert drifter in the movie. He stumbles across a giant gold nugget on his travels and as his partner agrees to leave to find excavation equipment, Zac's character stays behind to guard the gold.
In doing so, he endures a series of hardships which are a huge test to his mental and physical endurance.
Director Anthony had previously said he was drawn to cast Zac in the role because of its intensity, despite it being so different to the star's usual rom-com typecast.
Anthony told The Age : "It was a performance he'd never given before. It was extremes he'd never worked in before.
"But with A-list actors who are used to a level of comfort, you never know what's going to happen once you get into the desert. It's easy when you're just on a Zoom call.
"Once Zac got out there, he was just the hardest working dude you could get. He didn't complain once."
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