Shaquille O’Neal these days is one of America’s most loved celebrities. But when he was just a youngster in Orlando, he had big dreams. One of them was to make it in Hollywood. And of course, the self-proclaimed Superman would choose something like “The Terminator” franchise. He wanted to be alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger. Probably in the role of a villain destroying him!
Advertisement
Yes, thanks to our deep dive and research, we have learned that Shaq wanted to star in The Terminator franchise. Even though it might have been something he just said in passing.
By our guess and the way he was so vividly imagining himself next to Arnold, he might have been a tad bit serious. On the silver screen, Arnold looks like an imposing figure. His body-building physique and 6-foot-4-inch frame might have been big for a regular human, but for Shaq, he was small.
Shaquille O’Neal was ready to take up the mantle of the next villain in “The Terminator” franchise next to Arnold Schwarzenegger
As per the excerpt from Sports Illustrated, Shaq had this to say, “I want to do Terminator 3, It sounds good. Arnold (Schwarzenegger) against Shaq. We’d make $200 million the first night. I met him, too. Arnold. He’s really short.”.
Shaq was confident in his charisma and spoke with absolute certainty that he would make $200 million. Of course, he trusted his size and his 1000-watt smile.
He even called Arnold small, he was an imposing 7’1″ tall after all, much more than Arnold’s 6’4″. To Shaq, he was small.
The audacity of Shaq was big even during his early years. Unfortunately, though, he was never called on for a part. But he did have a movie in Hollywood soon after.
Shaq’s movie was a humongous flop
Shaquille O’Neal’s 1996 movie “Kazaam” was a critical and commercial flop. In the movie, Shaq plays a genie who is discovered by a young boy and must grant him three wishes.
The film received overwhelmingly negative reviews from critics, who criticized the plot, writing, and acting. Despite its poor reception, “Kazaam” has gained a cult following over the years. It is mainly thanks to the fact that Shaq has millions of fans and they just want to see him on the screen.
Kazaam has also been a but of internet memes and jokes. Shaq himself has acknowledged the movie’s shortcomings and has expressed regret over his performance.
