"Arnold against Shaq... He’s really short" - Shaquille O'Neal once wanted to feature in Terminator 3
Shaquille O'Neal is one of the most dominant forces in NBA history, given his 7-foot-1-inch height and huge build. There is no doubt that fans came out in bunches to watch O'Neal play. Since his NBA career, O'Neal has managed to keep and grow that fan following and has become a famous American celebrity over the years.
Sports Illustrated featured a piece where they talked about Shaquille O'Neal's aspirations to be in Hollywood, specifically in "The Terminator" alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger. Here is what O'Neal had to say:
“I want to do Terminator 3, It sounds good. Arnold (Schwarzenegger) against Shaq. We’d make $200 million the first night. I met him, too. Arnold. He’s really short.”
Shaquille O'Neal was positive about the box office that Schwarzenegger and he would bring in. It is fair to say that they're both much-loved celebrities in America and would fit the role well in a movie like "The Terminator."
It was funny that Shaq, who is 7’1″ tall, called the bodybuilding champion small given that Arnold Schwarzenegger is 6’4″.
@MikeRoyce Yeah Shaq rags on Arnold who is always very excitable, but Shaq can be so dry sometimes Arnold doesn’t realize he’s being ragged on.
O'Neal continued:
"About six foot. But he [Arnold] looked real good. I didn't mention my movie idea to him. I think I'd be a terminator, though. I'd come in the door and say, 'Where is he? Where is he?' And then just start breaking——up."
It is interesting to see that O'Neal imagines himself as the main force of action and likely believes that he should be the one winning fight sequences in the movie.
“Standing on a 2 foot box”- Arnold Schwarzenegger takes a dig at the giant Shaquille O’Neal
During the talks about O'Neal featuring in The Terminator alongside Schwarzenegger, he made fun of Schwarzenegger's height. It seems that this time around, Schwarzenegger did the same toward O'Neal.
Here is what Schwarzenegger posted on Instagram:
"Great to see my friend @shaq in Columbus, although I don’t know why he always insists on standing on a 2 foot box when he’s with me. I’m here for the @arnoldsports, he’s here to do a fantastic DJ show. We used to share an office years ago and I love seeing his continued success."
Instead of calling himself short, Arnold Schwarzenegger referred to Shaquille O'Neal as standing on a 2-foot box. This was a hilarious jab at O'Neal who earlier boasted about being bigger than Schwarzenegger.
As for fans, it is bewildering to see how small Arnold Schwarzenegger truly looks standing next to O'Neal. If Schwarzenegger is the embodiment of the bodybuilding world and won five Mr. Universe and seven Mr. Olympia, it is mind-boggling to think of how O'Neal would fare in the bodybuilding world.