A fearsome competitor in his 19 seasons with the NBA, Shaquille O’Neal has yet to fulfil a dream he’s had for many, many years: becoming a big-screen superhero in a Marvel movie.
Sure, he’s played a superhero, albeit a DC one — a gold star to anyone who can remember his starring role in the forgettable 1997 feature “Steel.” However, appearing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has proven to be beyond his grasp.
An Aspiring Avenger
In a recent interview with Variety, O’Neal revealed that he’s spent years trying to get himself cast in a Marvel movie — more specifically, as part of one of the “Avengers” flicks.
“I wanted to be in the ‘Avengers’ and they were like, ‘Shaq, we [expletive] love you and we’d love to put you in, but if your face pops up on screen people are going to go, ‘Hey, that’s Shaq!'” the retired pro athlete recalled.
He admitted that he saw their point. “He said it truthfully, and I was like, alright… I guess my face is too bigtime,” he added.
Dreams of Becoming an Action Hero
In addition to “Steel,” O’Neal’s somewhat checkered acting career also includes the notorious bomb “Kazam.” However, he’s carved out a lane in smaller roles; he’s most recently appeared in the latest “Scary Movie” sequel, and will also be seen in Adam Sandler’s upcoming “Grown Ups 3.”
However, what he really aspires to is action stardom, which, like his Marvel dreams, has yet to materialize.
“I would love to do more action roles but we were told by top Hollywood executives that I’m too big, and what they mean by that is when I pop up on the screen everyone will go, ‘Oh, that’s Shaq!’” explained the seven-foot-one NBA legend.
“So, if I’m trying to play a doctor or anything,” he added, “my character won’t be believable.”
His Still Wants to Join the MCU
When O’Neal points out that he’s been longing for a Marvel role for some time, he’s not exaggerating.
Back in 2018, he was interviewed for Entertainment Weeily, and declared his aspiration of joining the MCU.
“It was an awesome opportunity,” O’Neal told the magazine, reflecting on his “Steel” role.
“However, I’d like to redo it and get some of these 2018 special effects,” he added.
“I would love to be in one of the ‘Avengers’ movies,” he shared. “I would like to kick Robert Downey Jr.’s [butt].”
Acting Remains a Sideline
During that EW interview, O’Neal reflected on some of his other movie roles.
When asked which ones stood out as his favorites, he mentioned a few.
“Probably any of Adam Sandler’s movies,” said O’Neal, who appeared in “Jack and Jill,” “Grown Ups 2” and “Blended.”
“When I did ‘Grown Ups 2,’ you’ve got Adam, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade,” he said, recalling the all-star comedy cast of the hit sequel, and revealed the NBA trick he pulled out in order to not be intimidated by his ultra-funny co-stars.
“I had to put my mindset in basketball mode and just say, ‘Okay, there’s Magic Johnson, there’s Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, there’s Larry Bird, there’s Michael Jordan. I belong here,’” he shared,
