Paul Wight, formerly known as The Big Show in WWE and of course The Giant in WCW, has had an eventful career. He made the move to AEW in 2021, shocking the pro wrestling world. That was after a 22-year career in WWE.
Quite impressive for the man who was discovered by the one, the only, the Immortal Hulk Hogan, eh? Sure is. After meeting Danny Bonaduce (of The Partridge Family fame)at a karaoke bar where Wight worked, Bonaduce introduced him to Hulk Hogan, and when Hogan saw the giant his eyes of course lit up.
I can even think of what Hogan was probably thinking. “Man the angles I can work with this guy! Imagine the money….” Anyways, the rest was of course history, to use the old cliché.
Now of course for fans who know, Wight wasn’t just a mid-card wrestler his whole career. The man worked major angles and storylines and became a major draw for WWE, taking on the likes of Steve Austin, The Rock, John Cena and so many other foes he helped ‘make,’ in pro wrestling terms.
That whole David and Goliath thing really does work when trying to tell a story, and Wight often played the part of Goliath to tremendous results, as his career has shown, and as the success of his many aforementioned rivals has undoubtedly shown as well.
via WWE /YouTube
Well, he has transitioned from being ‘just a pro wrestler’ to acting as well. He has played many roles over the years: Jingle All The Way, The Waterboy…). Most recently he played himself in part on the Big Show Show…a dramatization of what his life was like, or rather a fictional version of his life.
But now, in Marcus, his role is dramatic in scope, and he recently went into just what that entailed while speaking with Wrestling Inc. He said:
“Originally, being part of this project was really just to help produce it and get this project going…Then there was an opportunity for a role in the picture, and I read the script and I was like, ‘Yeah, I’d like to try Gus.’ Because it is a very serious role, but Gus is a very important component to ‘Marcus,’ because Gus is actually one of the interactions that Marcus has with someone that’s really trying to understand Marcus in his own way and trying to be supportive, but really doesn’t understand how to know Marcus…
Yes, it’s a security guard role, but at the same time there’s a lot more depth to the character and to the plot line of the story. In acting, I want to try to push myself and push my boundaries and try to find things that are not what you would typically see me doing…Sometimes it’s hard to find those roles.”
The film is definitely a departure from anything Wight has ever done, as previously stated but it’s definitely promising and seems to be worth the time for anyone that likes a touching story told right.
