Now, before we go any further, we’ll acknowledge that a character appearing vastly different to the actor or actress that plays them isn’t anything new. On the contrary, that’s rather the whole point with acting in the first place.
But bear with us, because some of the talking points raised by fans don’t necessarily center around stage and makeup. Efron isn’t wearing an elaborate costume, nor has he donned an extravagant wig or undergone a transition to alter his body type.
In short, the movie’s trailer was greeted with mixed reactions online, in no small part due to Efron and Kidman featuring in steamy situations.
Perhaps predictably, there were those who immediately reacted to the age gap between the two superstars. For reference, Efron is 36; Kidman 21 years his senior at 57.
“Isn’t he young enough to be her son?” one person wrote on Instagram.
Another opined: “I just cannot get into Nicole Kidman and Zac hooking up in this movie.”
While a third wrote: “Weird couple!!! I can’t imagine there is any chemistry! Lol.”
And it wasn’t just the age gap generating a buzz. There were actually a lot of folk on social media left surprised by the apparent changes to Efron’s face.
Having made his breakthrough in the wildly successful High School Musical, Efron burst onto the scene as the handsome boy next door. Since then he’s grown into his profession, taking on – and absolutely delivering – a number of challenging roles that have helped to make him a household name.
But though it’s an inevitable fact of life that people experience changes to the appearance as they age and mature, fans appear to be implying that Efron’s evolving look has its roots in something else.
“All I see is Botox, hyaluronic acid, and faces barely giving expressions,” one person wrote of the trailer for A Family Affair.
“Zac’s face doesn’t move, it’s perfectly paired with Nicole’s face,” another said.
A third wrote: “He really messed up his face.”
A fourth added simply: “The Botox movie.”
You can see the trailer for the film below: