Shaquille O’Neal says he wanted a shot at the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but top Hollywood executives told him he was too recognizable for the kind of roles he hoped to play, according to Variety.
In the interview published Aug. 21, the NBA Hall of Famer said he would love to take on more action parts, but was told that if he appeared on screen, audiences would immediately think, “That’s Shaq.” He said that could make it hard for viewers to believe him as a doctor or another character.
O’Neal also said he asked Marvel to cast him in the Avengers, but was told the same thing: his face would be too hard to separate from his public image. He said he accepted the answer, joking that his face was “too bigtime.”
The former basketball star said he had been hoping for a Marvel role for years, including in an interview with Entertainment Weekly in 2018. Now, he says he would rather make a film with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson so he can “beat him up.”
