Zac Efron Faced Giant Centipedes Making ‘The Greatest Beer Run Ever’

Zac Efron said he was so creeped out he didn’t have to act when an enormous arthropod nearly crawled onto his face. At first, he was confident to shoot the scene with real centipedes. That was because he believed the centipedes had been defanged, therefore, no longer venomous. But when the centipede handler brought out four of the squirming critters, informing the actor that only one of the four had been defanged, and he couldn’t remember which one, Efron got nervous.

He shared his story with CBS Sunday Morning on September 25. The actor told the CBS talk show about the encounter while filming The Greatest Beer Run Ever. The dramedy, directed by Peter Farrelly, released in theatres on September 23. It’s about the true story of “Chickie” Donohue, a man who sailed to Vietnam to bring beers to his enlisted buddies. Russel Crowe and Bill Murray star alongside Efron. Efron portrays Chickie and his wild quest to thank enlisted soldiers with a cold one.

Efron told the CBS panel that it took a few takes to get the giant centipede to crawl right next to his face. In the end, they got the shot. Efron said, “It was just perfect, I didn’t really have to act.”

The Greatest Beer Run Ever is available to stream on Apple TV.