It turns out it’s not just the steamy sex scene in Zac Efron’s latest movie that has tongues wagging, as fans have spotted something they think is a ‘funny but sad’ reference to the actor’s real life.
In A Family Affair, which dropped on Netflix last week, Efron plays self-absorbed Hollywood star Chris Cole, who strikes up a romantic - and clandestine - relationship with his personal assistant’s widowed mother, Brooke.
Nicole Kidman plays his love interest Brooke, while Joey King stars as her daughter Zara.
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Of course, there are a few parallels with Efron and his on-screen persona Chris, as both know what it’s like to live under the pressures of the limelight.
And fans believe they’ve spotted one moment where the two people collide, as Chris tells Brooke about something that sounds all too familiar.
While getting to know one another as they chilled together on the sofa, Chris poignantly explains how he once had to sue a popular celebrity media outlet after people speculated he had a fake ‘quad job’.
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He admits to Brooke he’s only ever had one surgery - on his chin after having ‘fallen on set’.
Indeed, over the years there has been similar speculation around Efron’s appearance, after fans noticed his face looked noticeably different and believed he may have undergone plastic surgery.
The conversation has resurfaced again off the back of the star returning to screens, with many Netflix viewers noting he 'looked different'.
Others, meanwhile, have defiantly defended him - pointing out that any changes were due to a devastating injury that almost killed him.
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In an interview with Men’s Health, the actor said he had been running through his house in 2013 when he slipped.
He had been wearing a pair of socks as he fell into a fountain, hitting his face on a granite corner and knocking himself out in the process.
After waking up, he said he realised his 'chin bone was hanging off his face', having shattered his jaw.
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He recalled: "The masseters just grew. They just got really, really big."
Efron later told Entertainment Tonight that he nearly died following the accident.
When asked what he made of the ‘speculation’ online, he replied: "I don't really read the internet.
"It was funny. It sucked. I almost died."
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This means Efron’s jawline may look wider than before because different facial muscles have had to work harder to compensate for the near-fatal injury.
Picking up on the subtle connection, one fan tweeted: “This scene in A Family Affair gagged me because it’s so true to Zac’s real life as a celebrity and how there’s constant rumors about his body image, and all the ‘surgeries’ he’s gotten. Even the part about his jaw! Spot on.”
Someone else agreed: “Awww that’s funny but also sad.”
A third wrote: “It touched me so much because it felt like they had to almost add the disclaimer about his jaw in this scene.”
Topics: Zac Efron, Netflix, Celebrity, TV And Film
Jess Hardiman