If you’ve not yet seen the Netflix film Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile starring Zac Efron, then you better make a move quick stat.
Not only is Zac (and his undeniable charm) a HUGE draw card, but his ability to become and resemble serial killer Ted Bundy, will have you at the edge of your seat.
But it’s not only Efron, who won acclaim at Sundance Film Festival for his performance, who bares an uncanny likeness to their real life counterpart.
Actress Lily Collins (Les Misérables), Jim Parsons (Big Bang Theory) and John Malkovich (Being John Malkovich) have also received worldwide nods for their portrayals of the infamous key players in the Ted Bundy story.
The film follows the life and murder trial of Ted Bundy, an American serial killer in the 1970s who confessed to killing more than 30 women, from the perspective of the women in his life.
Thanks to his looks and charming personality, Bundy was often mistaken as being something he wasn’t. In fact, this helped to reel his victims in, escape the law on numerous occasions and kill across seven states in America.
READ NEXT: Everything you need to know about notorious serial killer Ted Bundy
Bundy once described himself as “the most cold-hearted son of a b—- you’ll ever meet,” and his reputation certainly preceded him.
So who were the key people in the life of the man that became the most notorious serial killer of the 1970s?
We take a look at the real-life counterparts of the man, whose own lawyer called him “the very definition of heartless evil.”
TED BUNDY and ZAC EFRON
TED BUNDY and ZAC EFRON
Former High School Musical and The Greatest Showman star Zac Efron may not seem like the obvious choice to play serial killer Ted Bundy, but when you place the two side-to-side, the resemblance is uncanny.
From his charisma to his handsome good looks, the 31-year-old quickly cemented himself as the “perfect” Bundy, wowing Netflix audience’s with his transformation and performance.
What’s more, the The Greatest Showman actor was adamant about portraying this “vile” human honestly and not glamorising him in any way.
In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Efron was determined to reiterate that he was in no way making light of the killings that took place in the 1970s.
“I am not into portraying a serial killer or anybody of this nature or glamorising them in any way….It does not glamorise the killing. This is an important thing for people to hear.”
Zac Efron
In an another interview during the London Premiere of the film, Zac revealed that he “couldn’t turn off” his Ted Bundy mindset once he’d left the set.
“I’ve never played a role in which I really have to separate myself from when I go home at night, and it was almost impossible,” Efron says. “I’d like to say that I did it successfully but I couldn’t.”
“It’s a different perspective and not your run-of-the-mill serial killer cliché, body count gets higher and higher, and oh the guy you always knew did it, did it. This is what it was like to be there on the day, we didn’t know if he was innocent or guilty, we just saw Ted Bundy through their eyes.”
EIZABETH KLOEPFER and LILY COLLINS
EIZABETH KLOEPFER and LILY COLLINS
Elizabeth Kloepfer is probably one of the most intriguing players in the Ted Bundy show. In fact, the whole film is based from the mother-of-one’s perspective – the one closest to him who had no idea that he was a killer.
Played by the acclaimed and UBER talented actress Lily Collins (To The Bone), Elizabeth is ultimately Ted’s undoing, as she was the one who dobbed him in to police after seeing a police sketch baring his resemblance.
To get inside the mind of this woman, Lily was fortunate enough to meet Liz (who now goes by Liz Kendall).
In an interview with This Morning in the US, Lily said: “It was really helpful, and she was so gracious, giving me material to look at and speaking to me and allowing me to ask questions,” she said.
“I don’t know if she’s going to see the movie because it’s difficult, but within the filming process, she came on set and she was a positive light on-set. You wouldn’t expect that with what happened. She gave us her support. She’s really lovely.”
Lily Collins
Most recently, Lily revealed to The Guardian that during filming she would wake up at 3am every night, haunted by the ghosts of Ted’s victims.
“I started being woken up by flashes of images, like the aftermath of a struggle,” she said. “I discovered that 3am is the time when the veil between the realms is the thinnest and one can be visited.”
“I didn’t feel scared—I felt supported,” she told The Guardian. “I felt like people were saying: ‘We’re here listening. We’re here to support. Thank you for telling the story.'” Spooky!
WATCH NEXT: The trailer for Netflix special “Confessions with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes”.
Post continues after video…
Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes – Official Trailer
CAROLE ANN BOONE and KAYA SCODELARIO
CAROLE ANN BOONE and KAYA SCODELARIO
Carole Ann Boone was another of Ted’s lovers who he famously proposed to during his trial. (Watch video in the next slide).
The pair conceived a child together, Rose, while Bundy was in prison, however, it is unclear how this came to be as conjugal visits were not permitted. It has often been speculated that Ted paid off a guard for the privilege.
Carole and Ted divorced three years before his execution and not much is known about the whereabouts of Carole or her daughter.
Played by Kaya Scodelario, her resemblance to the real Carole is uncanny.
“I really loved doing that story and research,” she Kaya told US Elle. “It’s the first time I’ve played a character who may still be alive, or that at least existed once. For me, I really wanted to dig into that.”
Ted Bundy proposes to Carol Ann Boone during his trial
LARRY SIMPSON and JIM PARSONS
LARRY SIMPSON and JIM PARSONS
The role of Larry Simpson, the main Prosecutor in Bundy’s case, is a far cry from the eccentric Sheldon Cooper which actor Jim Parsons has played for more than a decade on the Big Bang Theory.
However, Parsons surpassed any negative expectations to play a lawyer who desperately wanted a conviction for America’s most notorious serial killer.
In the Netflix documentary Conversations With a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes, Larry revealed what being part of the case was really like.
“Nobody had ever handled a case like this before—before the cameras, and certainly not before the virtual nation watching.”
“I was a young lawyer at the time. It was baptism by fire, if you would. But quite frankly from my perspective I had to treat it like it was just another case.”
Larry Simpson
Simpson was only four years out of law school when he won the case against Bundy.
Using Simpson forensic samples, such as bite marks, semen and hair fibres, it was a “deep dive into forensic science” he told Law.com.
“Once you have your eyes open to that type of evidence, it’s extremely powerful in the court, and I really enjoyed working with it, learning about it and explaining it to a jury.”
JOHN EDWARD COWART and JOHN MALKOVICH
JOHN EDWARD COWART and JOHN MALKOVICH
Judge Edward Cowart was the judge who presided over Bundy’s murder trial and was the one who imposed death by electric chair.
While his sentence was brutal, Cowart is most famous for his sympathetic nature towards Bundy, saying that he was “a waste of humanity”.
Without Judge Cowart, the title of the film would not exist as he was the one to utter the following:
“The court finds that both of these killings were indeed heinous, atrocious and cruel. And that they were extremely wicked, shockingly evil, vile and the product of a design to inflict a high degree of pain and utter indifference to human life.”
WATCH NEXT: Judge John Edward Cowart imposes sentence on Ted Bundy
Judge John Cowart sentences Ted Bundy to the electric chair
