Zac Efron’s Wild ‘Dirty Grandpa’ Beach Scene Still Has Fans Talking

Some movie scenes are funny because of the dialogue, while others become memorable because of how completely ridiculous they are. Zac Efron’s beach scene in the 2016 comedy Dirty Grandpa falls into the second category. Years after the movie hit theaters, behind-the-scenes photos from the production continue to remind fans just how far Efron went for one of the film’s biggest jokes.

A throwback set of photos recently resurfaced on X, posted by an account called Hover Noah. The images show Efron while filming the now-famous beach sequence for Dirty Grandpa. Instead of looking like the polished movie star audiences were used to seeing, Efron was dressed for one of the film’s most over-the-top comedy moments.

In the photos, Efron can be seen on the beach wearing flesh-colored underwear while holding a stuffed bumblebee in front of himself. His body is also covered in painted writing, including the words “TEAM HOT.” The strange combination makes it clear that the scene was never supposed to look glamorous. It was all about creating an outrageous visual gag.

Zac Efron goes shirtless while filming "Dirty grandpa" on the beach pic.twitter.com/ZzXzK9n499

— Hover Noah (@HoverNoah) September 20, 2026

The photos also give fans a different look at how the comedy was made. On screen, the scene moves quickly and is designed to get an immediate laugh. Seeing Efron standing on the beach between takes makes the whole thing feel even more unusual. It shows the kind of commitment actors sometimes need when a comedy asks them to fully embrace an embarrassing or ridiculous situation.

Released in 2016, Dirty Grandpa paired Efron with Robert De Niro in a very different kind of road comedy. Efron played Jason Kelly, a serious young lawyer who is preparing for his wedding. His plans are thrown off when his grandfather, played by De Niro, tricks him into taking a trip to Florida.

What follows is a chaotic trip filled with parties, awkward situations and plenty of inappropriate jokes. The movie leaned heavily into its R-rated comedy, with Efron and De Niro playing characters who were almost complete opposites. Jason wants to stay focused on his responsibilities, while his grandfather is determined to have as much fun as possible.

The beach sequence became one of the movie’s more recognizable moments because of just how absurd it looks. Efron was already known for his leading-man image, but Dirty Grandpa repeatedly used that image as part of the joke. The film put him in situations that were designed to make his character look uncomfortable, and the actor committed to the physical comedy.

The movie was directed by Dan Mazer and arrived in theaters with a relatively modest production budget. Although critics were largely negative toward the film, audiences still showed up. According to the figures cited in the original report, Dirty Grandpa was made for around $11.5 million and eventually earned more than $105 million worldwide.

That box office result helped make the movie a notable commercial success despite the harsh reviews. It also gave fans plenty of memorable moments to look back on years later.

The resurfaced photos are now giving Dirty Grandpa another moment online. Throwback movie pictures often reveal just how different a finished scene can look from what happens during filming. In Efron’s case, the images offer a funny reminder that even a major Hollywood star can end up spending a day on a beach wearing an intentionally ridiculous costume for the sake of a joke.

For fans of Dirty Grandpa, the pictures are also a reminder of the movie’s anything-goes approach to comedy. Whether viewers loved the film or found its humor too much, Efron’s commitment to the role was never in question. The throwback photos simply show how much he was willing to embrace the chaos.

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