Harris Dickinson is one of today’s most exciting actors to keep an eye on. Coming onto the scene with his feature debut in 2017’s Beach Rats, Dickinson would continue to work steadily in franchise films such as Maleficent: Mistress of Evil and The King’s Man as well as nurturing his artistic growth in the likes of Matthias and Maxime, The Souvenir Part II, and Where the Crawdads Sing. He also recently starred in FX’s A Murder at the End of the World alongside The Crown star Emma Corrin.
Dickinson’s biggest breakout, though, had to have been in 2022’s Triangle of Sadness, which won the prestigious Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. His performance as a male model who must adjust to a new social hierarchy while marooned on an island stood out amongst an already stacked ensemble. Dickinson stands out once again in A24’s The Iron Claw as David Von Erich, one of the members of the ill-fated Von Erich wrestling family.
Written and directed by Sean Durkin, The Iron Claw relays the true story of the “Von Erich Curse” with a great deal of respect. We follow four brother wrestlers – Kevin (Zac Efron), Kerry (Jeremy Allen White), Mike (Stanley Simons), and David (Dickinson) – as they rise to fame throughout the early 80s under the coaching of their ruthless father, Fritz (Holt McCallany), and love of their mother Doris (Maura Tierney). The Von Erichs go from humble beginnings in Dallas, Texas to the top of the wrestling world, traveling across the globe from one packed arena to another as they put on the show of a lifetime.
As fate would have it, a string of tragedies would soon strike the Von Erich family. Much of the movie follows the second oldest brother and last surviving son Kevin as he wrestles with grief and learns how to find the beauty in life again with his wife Pam Adkisson (Lily James). In addition to The Iron Claw getting the real Kevin Von Erich’s seal of approval, real-life wrestlers Chavo Guerrero Jr. and Maxwell John Friedman were involved behind the scenes as well as having on-screen cameos. Friedman, more famously known as AEW World Champion MJF, served as an executive producer while Guerrero Jr. acted as the film’s primary wrestling consultant. The entire cast ensemble was tasked to bring The Iron Claw to life with a high level of authenticity, but Harris Dickinson’s role in particular presented its unique challenges.
As an actor, Dickinson is asked to shoulder a lot in this film, portraying the brotherhood between himself and his co-stars as well as his deteriorating physicality and the pressure put upon the family by their father. As the one whose tragic fate started a chain reaction throughout the Von Erich family, Harris Dickinson makes a tremendous effort in The Iron Claw. We sat down with the actor to chat about stepping into the wrestling ring, the camaraderie on and off set with the cast, working with director Sean Durkin, and much more.
Exclusive Interview with Harris Dickinson for The Iron Claw
From Beach Rats up through Triangle of Sadness and now The Iron Claw, you’ve had a highly eclectic career with a careful selection of roles. What drew you to your role in this film?
Harris Dickinson: I enjoyed wrestling growing up in London, I was into WWE, WWF… it was something I really loved as a kid. Just by reading the script, I knew that Sean was going to handle it well. I love his films, I think he’s an incredible filmmaker who tells stories in such a beautifully authored way.
I knew that the combination of this filmmaker and this story would be something interesting, with integrity. David [Von Erich] was also someone who, once I started researching him and watching him, I found him very intriguing, charismatic, and multifaceted. I was just shocked by it, and scared by it too.
A key component of The Iron Claw and David Von Erich is the obvious tragedy. How did you balance portraying his humanity while also portraying the real tragedy of his character?
Harris Dickinson: The tragedy was sort of there in the writing and the story, I didn’t really have to do anything. The fate of these boys is all there in the story. I think the main thing we had to do is bring the humanity, bring the comedy, bring the love, you know? Because there was so much love between the brothers. So, it was all about trying to do that justice.
When it came to portraying the brotherhood between the Von Erich family, how much of that was purely on-screen and how much was off-screen, in terms of bonding and camaraderie?
Harris Dickinson: Look, we all got along so well, we were lucky. We all got close very early. We got to learn to wrestle together which is always a pretty accelerated bonding experience when you’re in spandex with each other – with strangers (laughs). So, you sort of get past things pretty quickly but yeah, we were lucky, man. We got along super well and like I said, we were in a shared experience together.
What was the most unique challenge about this role when compared to other roles you’ve taken on?
Harris Dickinson: I think the role was far away from who I am, having grown up in England and now playing a Texas boy with outward-facing confidence. I think the athleticism was difficult too. Trying to gain some muscle in a short period and that sense of bravado physicality that I am not used to, I think was a big thing. That was challenging.
Once I’ve done the work on the accent and everything else, it all comes together, but you’re going home at night and you’re thinking, “Okay, let me keep this in my sights, otherwise, it could very easily go somewhere else”. You know, it sounds pretentious but it was about figuring out where and how to hold on to it.
What has it been like to see the reaction from Kevin Von Erich and the family after the film?
Harris Dickinson: It’s been so nice, man. We’ve been so grateful to receive that support from them. The premiere in Dallas was a really special night. We got so much love and support from them. I think more than anyone, their opinion matters most. So, we were just excited by that and grateful to have them there.
