Newsletter
Stone Cold Steve Austin (Image credit: WWE)
Nelly has shared a story about working with ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin in the 2005 film The Longest Yard, where Austin played a racist prison guard.
During a recent appearance on the “7PM in Brooklyn” podcast, Nelly looked back at the movie, which also featured Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Burt Reynolds, and several professional wrestlers. He said that he enjoyed making the film, even though he made the mistake of insisting that he did not need a stunt double.
Co-host Kazim Famuyide admitted that he grew up as a huge Austin fan, so certain scenes felt uncomfortable to watch. He pointed to moments in which Austin’s character used racist language toward Nelly’s character and made another racially charged remark about running the football.
Famuyide joked that Austin did not need to act that convincingly, saying that he was “hot” as the performance felt too real. He clarified that he never believed Austin held those views in real life, but he was still unprepared to see his favorite wrestler play that kind of villain.
However, Nelly had no complaints about Austin, saying that everybody on set was“super cool.” The hosts agreed that Austin was only doing what the role required and praised how believable he made the character.
The part was a major change for the WWE Hall of Famer, who was known for fighting authority rather than abusing power as a prison guard.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has explained that missing the NFL changed his life in a way he never expected.
The Rock answered an Instagram question about whether he still misses football or regrets that he never reached the league. The Final Boss said that football was supposed to be his way out of poverty, because he believed that an NFL career would let him buy his parents their first home and move his family away from trailer parks and apartments.
He admitted that those plans did not happen through football, but they became real after he found success in WWE around the age of 28.
The former WWE Champion recalled playing at the University of Miami, where future Hall of Famer Warren Sapp took his spot and pushed him to the bench. Johnson refused to blame politics or bad luck, saying that he was good but not good enough for a 53-man NFL roster.
The Rock called the setback“the best thing that never happened” because it gave him a lasting chip on his shoulder and a hunger that helped him become a major WWE and Hollywood star.
The Great One also said that he supports modern NIL payments since he knows how hard college athletes worked without earning money in his era.
Loading