Photo Credit: Warner Bros. Entertainment
NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal has opened up about being turned down for a role in Marvel Studios’ Avengers franchise. The 54-year-old Hall of Famer has long expressed interest in joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but studio executives ultimately decided not to cast him, as he was too distracting for a fictional role.
Speaking with Variety, O’Neal explained that Marvel leadership turned down his pitch because his global celebrity status would break the audience’s attention. “I wanted to be in the ‘Avengers,’ and they were like, ‘Shaq, we f—–g 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!’” O’Neal recalled.
The Oscar-winning documentary producer accepted the studio’s reasoning. “He said it truthfully, and I was like, alright… I guess my face is too bigtime,” O’Neal added.
O’Neal first publicly revealed his desire to join the franchise in a 2018 interview with Entertainment Weekly, where he jokingly said he wanted to “kick Robert Downey Jr.’s ass” on screen. However, his latest comments confirm he will not appear in Avengers: Doomsday or any upcoming Marvel projects.
Shaq already played a superhero before chasing the MCU
Long before pitching himself to Marvel, O’Neal had already headlined his own comic book film. The basketball icon starred as the titular hero in DC’s 1997 action feature Steel.
Despite his background, Hollywood executives continue to express concern over his sheer size and fame. “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!’” he explained. “So, if I’m trying to play a doctor or anything, my character won’t be believable.”
With his Marvel dreams on hold, O’Neal now has another action icon in the mix. He wants to share the screen with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
