Shaquille O’Neal Once Candidly Opened Up on Becoming “The Next Rock” in Hollywood: “I’m Like a Hero..”

Hollywood stands apart from other movie industries in part because it welcomes those who haven’t studied acting in college or come from a non-film background. Dwayne Johnson is among the best examples of how the business would welcome a superstar if they have special abilities. And Shaquille O’Neal is another guy who transcended his discipline to dominate the film industry, just like The Rock did.

Interestingly, Shaq mentioned that he wants to follow Johnson in the industry and work on films that fall into the action-thriller comedy genre, like Johnson, who now dominates the majority of big-budget movies like these.

Shaq is undoubtedly one of those individuals that are respected everywhere in the globe, but that shouldn’t come as any surprise. Not only for his talent as a basketball player but also for his 1994-launched acting career. Notably, he made a superhero movie 26 years before Johnson made Black Adam.

His first major acting part came in the film ‘Steel’, a superhero film, at the beginning of his career. However, Shaq, who entered the field earlier than Johnson, draws inspiration from him and pursues a similar course.

Shaquille O’Neal aspired to be like The Rock

The legendary NBA player revealed in an interview with Page Six that he aspired to be as prominent as “The Rock,” who is regarded as one of the biggest movie stars on the globe. In the 2018 interview, he was questioned about his desire to work in Hollywood because he frequently works on a number of TV shows. He answered by stating that Rock had set a high standard for size and he wanted to match it.

He stated, “We come from the same place: athletes that transition. That’s my goal. I want similar-type movies.  I want to get thrillers. And I want to get dramas. I want to do comedies, I want to be the next Rock. I want to do a thriller where I’m like a hero and beat up all the bad guys.”

Read More: $800M Worth Dwayne Johnson Gifted Himself an Unique “The Man in Black” Pendant Following Black Adam Success

The bar Shaq set for himself was unquestionably high. The Rock presently has greater popularity than Will Smith and other Hollywood celebrities. Shaq may still be behind ‘The Rock,’ who is currently a global phenomenon, despite being a well-known and famous character. He would certainly do this sooner or later if he continually performed like DJ.

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