Shaquille O’Neal’s acting career jumpstarted with a $3 million offer from the Exorcist director
NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal is a basketball champion, businessman, investor, analyst, father, and actor.
Shaquille O’Neal is a man of many talents. The 7-foot-1, 325-pound big man is arguably one of the top 10 players in NBA history. Shaq dominated the league for the better part of a decade using his size and athleticism. Shaq led the Los Angeles Lakers to the last three mobs the NBA has seen. He retired with 4 rings and one of the most dominant careers in the NBA.
Yet even after hanging up his boots, Shaq never took a cold pill. Using his career earnings of $292 million, Shaq invested in businesses, made smart investments and started companies, helping to grow his net worth to more than $400 million.
Along with his business ventures, Shaq also makes money from his TNT deal as well as tons of ads and endorsement deals that he has. Shaq has also been a part of several movies and can also be known as an actor. His journey as an actor began in 1994 and he had a very simple reason behind it.
Shaquille O’Neal made his movie debut only thanks to a $3 million check
Shaquille O’Neal didn’t have the easiest childhood growing up. Her real father was not in her image and she used to live with her mother and her stepfather.
Things weren’t always the best financially, and that was one of the reasons Shaq worked hard to excel in basketball.
When he joined the NBA, he signed a 4-year, .
4 million rookie deal. It was a lot of money, but at the same time, Shaq knew he needed to earn more to give his mother a comfortable life. Speaking of his first acting job, Shaq said:
“I see a guy, Billy Friedkin, he said, do you know who I am? I said no, sir. ‘My name is Billy Friedkin, I directed the Exorcist.’ We started talking. He told me that he had a project for me, we are going to make a movie. Man, I’m not an actor. ‘It’s good for you, you have to play a basketball player.’ Man, I don’t know if I can do that. ‘We’ll pay you 3 million dollars!’”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82RpjUwk5Y8
Shaq began his long acting career with a starting check of $3 million. Blue Chip came out in the summer of 1994, and well, let’s just say it launched Shaq’s Hollywood career.
