When Zac Efron’s jawline started looking different, it triggered plastic surgery rumors.
He appeared in a video for Earth Day with Bill Nye in April 2021, and fans noticed his jawline looked more prominent. Many wondered if he had undergone plastic surgery to change his appearance, and others were more critical of the actor’s decision.
The hunky star, who has been a big part of Hollywood since his debut in the 2006 Disney film High School Musical, said that his looks changed after he had an accident that he didn’t even know about at the time.
According to a new interview with Men’s Health, Efron revealed that his enlarged jawline was the result of a fall that he took outside his home in 2013 that broke his jaw. He explains that he was running in socks in his home and slipped, hitting his face against a granite fountain.
It was a horrific experience for the actor, as he described to the magazine. He went into a coma, and came out of the hospital with his “chin bone hanging off his face.” The injury made his masseter muscles, which are rectangular-shaped facial muscles that chew, have to work extra hard.
He also had to retrain his face and jaw muscles to function properly again.
Zac Efron was also able to get his life back on track after his injury, and the 34-year-old has no regrets about what happened. He said that the incident almost killed him, but he was lucky to have escaped with minor injuries.
In the September 2022 issue of Men’s Health, he shared more details about the jaw accident that made his face look so swollen. He said that his chin had gotten so enlarged because his masseter muscles had to overcompensate for his injury, and he committed to working out with a specialist.
This is not the first time that he has been questioned about his jaw. He was criticized for appearing on the Earth Day special with Bill Nye, and his altered look caused intense online speculation that he had plastic surgery.
Despite the rumors, he hasn’t let them influence his career. Instead, he’s found success in the streaming industry with his Down to Earth series and YouTube channel.
His newest movie, The Greatest Beer Run Ever, is currently screening at the Toronto International Film Festival and he’s promoting it on Twitter. He’s also starring in a new television show that spotlights his love for the planet and exploration of places and spaces.
He recently starred in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, and has also appeared in Baywatch and The Greatest Showman. He has also launched a YouTube channel that highlights his fitness journey and exploration of the Earth.
When asked about the plastic surgery rumors that plagued him last year, he told ET that he was surprised to learn that people were talking about it. He emphasized that he’s been very private about his life, and he didn’t realize how popular the photos of him with a swollen face were until his mother called to ask him if he had gotten plastic surgery.