"This is me": Shaquille O'Neal once convinced 28-time Grammy winner, Quincy Jones, to star him in a comic-book movie

NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal has never been one to shy away from the limelight. This was especially true early on in his career when the big man even starred in some Hollywood films.

The most well-known of O’Neal’s movies is the 1996 film “Kazaam,” which was panned by critics. According to IMDb, the movie centers around “a troubled kid (who) inadvertently releases a genie, who must grant him any three wishes he requests.”

Following the disastrous film, in 1997, the big man then starred in the comic book-themed movie “Steel,” which was also heavily slammed by critics.

In a 1997 article, Sports Illustrated’s Rick Reilly spoke with O’Neal about his then-upcoming film. Reilly first wrote about how Steel was expected to be better than Kazaam:

“If he keeps making movies as dreadful as Kazaam, he will soon have a little less to spend. His next movie, Steel, is supposed to be better,” Reilly said.

“Based on the comic-book series of the same name, it's the story of a former military metallurgist who dons a suit of armor and fights crime.”

According to Reilly, the film was O’Neal’s idea. This came as the big man convinced 28-time Grammy winner Quincy Jones, who started production of the film, to let him star in it:

“The movie was Shaq's idea, naturally,” Reilly wrote.

“He handed the comic book to Quincy Jones and said, ‘This is me.’ Replied Q: ‘Let's star you in it!’”

Reilly added that O’Neal carried out most of his own stunt work for the film, despite his massive size. Reilly then asked the big man why he decided to risk his body despite being a pro athlete. O’Neal told him that he was already used to doing similar activities growing up in Newark, New Jersey:

“In this movie, which was filmed last summer and should be released in August, Shaq did most of his own stunt work, possibly because every other agile 7'1", 300-pounder was already employed in the NBA,” Reilly wrote.

“Shaq ran under a burning helicopter. He jumped off a moving train. He jumped from the top of one 20-story building to another.

“‘Shaq,’ I say, ‘You've got another job making $17 million a year. Are you out of your cranium?’ Dirt muffles a laugh. ‘Bro, me and Dirt used to do that stuff all the time back home (in Newark),’ Shaq says. ‘Roof to roof? We'd do that s**t daily.’”

What did critics say about Shaquille O’Neal’s movie “Steel?”

NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal in his 1997 film “Steel”

As for the critical reception to Shaquille O’Neal’s “Steel,” upon its release on Aug. 15, 1997, critics brutally disparaged the film. Poor reviews then continued to trickle in over the years:

“Shaq, meanwhile should bag the movies and work diligently on those freebies. Knees bent, elbow steady, full follow-through ... wish,” the Austin Chronicle’s Russell Smith wrote.

“What in God's name were they thinking???” 7M Pictures’ Kevin Carr wrote.

“It could be worse. Shaq could be rapping,” eFilmCritic.com’s David Cornelius wrote.

As of today, Steel has a 12% critic score and a 19% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The critic consensus for the film is as follows:

“Steel is a badly-acted movie that indulges not only in superhero cliches but also the sappy TV-movie-of-the-week ones.”