Turn on your TV for even a few minutes, and odds are you’ll see the big smiling face of Shaquille O’Neal. Shaq is everywhere these days, from “Shaqtin’ a Fool” on Inside the NBA to the seemingly endless string of commercials he continues to appear in. Now, however, Shaq is “Shaqtin'” in a different way: as an actual actor in a scripted drama on Amazon Prime.
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Shaq is set to appear in the third season of Prime’s show Gravesend, a Brooklyn-based mob drama that takes place in the 1980s. He’ll play Mustafa, a powerful gangster that runs the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. He’s not the only former athlete in the show either, as a member of his crew will be played by former Steelers linebacker James Harrison.
Shaq has acted outside of commercials before (who among us can ever forget the genie Kazaam in the mid-90s?), and his roles have run the gamut from funny, like in Scary Movie 4 and Hubie Halloween, to a little bit serious, like his portrayal of Neon Boudeaux in Blue Chips.
This is one of the few times that Shaq is playing anyone but himself or another basketball player, and the role seemed to only come about because a crazy story. “This is the first time in a while I’ve played somebody different,” he said.
Shaq says he DMed the creator and star, William DeMeo, to tell him how much he loved the show. DeMeo responded that he had a character for him to play, and the rest is history.
All reports indicate that Shaq is getting along great with his co-stars, and his presence has really been a positive during production. He said he’s really enjoying the process and the familial atmosphere on set.
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Gravesend will be premiering sometime later this year
Two seasons of Gravesend are already out, and the third is filming now. Shaq’s recurring role is definitely a bit of stunt casting, but it has fans interested in checking out the show. It will likely draw in many because of Shaq’s status, as well. For us, well, you had us at “Shaq as an old-school gangster.”
It seems he and his compatriots are having a great time on set as well. Between laughs and spontaneous dancing, the cast is smiling and getting along. Considering that filming Blue Chips led to Shaq and Penny Hardaway teaming up, the question remains: who will join Inside the NBA?
Speaking of Inside the NBA, Shaq’s new role will give him a leg up on co-host Charles Barkley. Chuck doesn’t seem to have much in the works right now acting-wise, though he did appear in two episodes of the Peacock show Mr. Throwback, which stars Steph Curry, last year.
I have no idea how Shaq finds the time to do so much in his busy schedule, but the man knows how to stay busy. Check out the first two seasons of Gravesend on Amazon Prime now, and the third when it drops sometime later this year.
