Despite being a reviled serial killer who was executed in 1989, 2019 has been a pretty good year for Ted Bundy. The show Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes proved to be a huge hit for Netflix. In fact, it was so successful that the network had to issue a statement explaining that it’s powerfully uncool to start openly professing how much you fancy Ted Bundy. I mean, sure he was a violent predatory necrophile who committed some truly disturbing and horrific crimes, but he’s still kinda dreamy. All that’s why some were nervous about the upcoming drama Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.
The film stars former teen heartthrob, now adult heartthrob, Zac Efron as the killer. This is smart casting, given that many claim that the reason Bundy was able to get away with his crimes for so long was that he was handsome and charismatic, leaving his girlfriend and the public at large incredulous that such a man could be capable of these atrocities. But there have been some that consider casting Efron as Bundy as a step too far.
Does the film really glamorize a killer, though? Well, Efron appeared on The Ellen Show where he tackled this question head-on:
The goal was a very challenging one and I’m thrilled that it turned out the way that it did. I am not into portraying a serial killer or anybody of this nature or glamorizing them in any way … it does not glamorize the killing. This is an important thing for people to hear.
Efron then went on to give his take on why he was able to evade capture for so long, saying:
Ted Bundy was a clean-cut, white dude, white person, so talk about white privilege. What he got away with back then, nobody would be able to do today.
That’s a very optimistic view of 2019 you’ve got there, Efron. Regardless, you’ll be able to decide for yourself very soon, as Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile hits Netflix this Friday.