Zac Efron Resurfaces After Tragic Pool Accident & Everyone Is Asking Questions

Zac Efron had fans buzzing after his first public appearance following his pool accident. The "Iron Claw" star injured himself diving into a pool in Ibiza, Spain in August when his chest hit the bottom, per TMZ. He was brought to the hospital where an X-ray was performed to ensure there was no water in his lungs, but was released shortly after. To alleviate any concern fans may have had about his health, Efron uploaded a workout selfie to his Instagram Stories the following day. A month later, Efron attended the amfAR Gala at the Venice International Film Festival where he sported a black tux, and was photographed rubbing elbows with fellow celebrities such as Richard Gere. While fans were happy to see the "17 Again" actor was fully recovered, the photos also had many asking questions.

When then photos of the actor at VIFF started circulating online, several fans wondered why Efron seemed to sustain so many scary injuries. "He keeps trying to break his face," an Instagram user wrote.

Zac Efron and Richard Gere photographed at the amfAR Gala in Venice. 📷 pic.twitter.com/xiMaqH033S

— Film Crave (@_filmcrave) September 2, 2024

Besides concern for his health, the pictures led to another round of speculation that Efron had plastic surgery done. "Dude swimmed out with a new face," one Instagram user commented. "What new plastic surgery did he have because of that incident?" another asked. "With a whole new face once again," a fan snarkily added. Only a couple months earlier, multiple netizens had their eyebrows raised when they saw Efron's look for a new movie.

Only weeks before his pool accident, Zac Efron starred in the Netflix rom-com "A Family Affair" alongside Nicole Kidman and Joey King. Besides discussing how funny or cute the movie was, a lot of the discourse centered around Efron's appearance. Many believed the "Baywatch" star had plastic surgery before filming. "I am trying to watch 'A Family Affair' and I'm finding it so hard. What on earth did Zac Efron do to his face?" one X, formerly Twitter user, wrote. "What happened to Zac Efron? He looks like an entirely different person," another chimed in. In the film, Efron plays movie star Chris Cole, and there is a scene where his character discusses being plagued by plastic surgery rumors — including to his face and jaw.

That scene appeared to be a clear nod to the actor's real life, as Efron has opened up about the accident that changed his face. During an interview with Men's Health in September 2022, Efron explained why his face looked so different from his "High School Musical" days. Efron revealed that he slipped and fell in 2013 and completely shattered his jaw. This led to intensive physical therapy which altered his face. "The masseters just grew. They just got really, really big," he told the outlet. Efron also mentioned that to preserve his own mental health, he tried to steer clear of social media as much as possible, and avoid the murmurs about his alleged numerous plastic surgeries.