Photo credit: AEW
Paul Wight: AEW gives me more opportunities to act compared to WWE
You can expect to see more of Paul Wight, former World Wrestling Entertainment star “Big Show,” on the big and small screens. The big show show star stated that at All Elite Wrestling he can work on various projects with TNT and that he has more freedom in choosing his future activities as WWE was restrictive.
“There were a lot of projects that I just wasn’t available for and WWE [was] very strict, especially at the beginning ” Wight explained to ComingSoon.net while discussing his role in season 4 of Fast & Furious: Spy Racer. “They were very strict about what they left to their branding talent. That was one of the conversations I had [AEW Owner] Tony Khan, when I made a commitment to join AEW, said, “Look, I’m going to do more television, more film projects.” And he was very excited about it and encouraged him to the point that when things get back on track we will work with TNT and get some projects rolling. Knowing you have this opportunity is an incredible motivator and stress reliever too. Now you can apply all of these ideas and all of these desires to perform and be part of all of these new projects. Oh yeah, at seven feet and 400 pounds, it’s very difficult to let people know, “Hey, I’m funny!” Or: “Hey, I can wear a part.” I mean, I can always be the number one villain or the doorman at the bar. Sure, I can – and not to say there’s something wrong with that – but you also want to prove to the audience that you can wear things. That’s the great thing about being supported in this endeavor.
“Believe me, I thank my stars every day when I think of actors who have had successful careers elsewhere. So you don’t have to rely on your acting to pay the bills because what a tough job going out there and going through auditions after auditions and getting rejected over and over again. I don’t have this stress. I’ll leave the lights on. So it’s a lot more fun for me. But my hat really goes to the actors who slept in the cars and made something of themselves because it’s not an easy transition. It’s a very competitive, very ruthless business. If you get a role in a movie and that movie is up to you as an investment, that part of the cast was done with what you believed could make the best investment for your character. So it’s a business, but it’s also a very, very difficult one. As rewarding as it is, it is also very difficult, and I appreciate the challenge. “
Wight currently serves as the commentator for AEW Dark: Elevation on YouTube and will eventually wrestle on TNTs AEW dynamite.
RELATED: CS Interview: ‘Big Show’ Paul Wight Talks About Season 4 of Fast & Furious: Spy Racers
