Upon Netflix's release of a four-part docu-series about Ted Bundy, the serial killer from the lates '70s is quite literally all anyone on social media can talk about.
Then, only a few days after the series' release, it was announced that there would be a new movie about the serial killer with Zac Efron playing the role of Bundy. This outraged many people across all forms of social media with claims that because Zac Efron has always been considered a sex symbol, casting him in such a role of someone who took the lives of over 30 young women is sexualizing and romanticizing the killer.
However, upon watching the Netflix series myself and doing some research, I have concluded that there is no better person to play the role of Bundy than Zac Efron.
People wonder how Bundy got away with what he did for so long. Well, he didn't look like a serial killer. He didn't look the part. He was an attractive, charming, and put together man. Not only does Efron physically look like Bundy, but he shares many of the characteristics that allowed him to entice so many women.
Women were not scared of Bundy because they were often attracted to him and enjoyed the attention of a good looking man. He was smart, a law student. He knew that his looks deceived people and distracted them from what he truly was: a killer.
Casting Zac Efron to play Bundy is simply portraying him accurately. His looks are the entire reason he went undetected for his crimes for so long. I understand why people feel as though this is sexualizing Bundy, but they must realize that in order to show exactly what made Bundy who he was, the actor who plays him must be attractive. It is a realistic portrayal, whether we want to admit it or not.