Hulk Hogan Wants In 'Expendables 3,' Reportedly Lies About Being Cast In 'The Wrestler'
Odds are if you're a male between the ages of 20 and 40, you have a soft spot in your heart for Hulk Hogan. In the '80s and '90s, Hogan was everywhere, quickly becoming one of the most famous people in the world as he ascended the ladder of professional wrestling. The superstardom lead to cartoon shows, movie roles and so much more.
In recent years though, Hogan has fallen from grace, becoming a tabloid mainstay due to his messy public divorce, issues with his kids, a reality show and most recently a sex tape. But Hogan hasn't shied away from the spotlight. Instead he's embraced it, doing a national press tour in the midst of one controversy and thereby inciting another.
One of the stops on Hogan's tour was The Howard Stern Show. While there he not only said he wanted a role in The Expendables 3, but that director Darren Aronofsky offered him the lead in The Wrestler. Aronofsky quickly took to Twitter to deny Hogan's claims. Why would Hogan lie? Read some quotes and hear the audio after the jump.
Here's an embed of the full interview. Obviously, at one hour plus, it's mostly NOT movie related and gets into a lot of Hogan's personal stuff, but if you like him or Stern, it's a good listen. The bit about The Wrestler comes in around 39:00 and Expendables 3 is at 54:00.
In regards to The Wrestler, Stern asks Hogan if he was offered the lead in and Hogan says yes but that he turned it down. The reason?
The problem is, if I had done it, Hollywood would have looked at it as a joke.
That's certainly true and it's not the first time he's made the claim. (Hogan also says it's not the first major film he turned down, claiming he was offered the lead in Highlander as well as Little John in Robin Hood: Men in Tights.) However, the director of The Wrestler, Darren Aronofsky, officially denied Hogan's claim.
for the record the role of the wrestler was always @mickeyrourke it was never hulk hogan's as he claims on @howardstern
— darren aronofsky (@DarrenAronofsky) October 9, 2012
Who is right? I'm leaning toward Aronofsky simply because he has less of a reason to lie. The movie is out there, he doesn't have to prove anything, but Hogan might think attaching himself in someway is a positive. I'd imagine the truth lays in the middle though. Maybe the script did cross Hogan's desk and he just assumed he was being offered the part. We'll probably never know the full truth.
Later in the interview, Hogan says that he's love to be in The Expendables 3 and that his fans have been demanding it. Which is the case. Personally, I think he would be a great addition as he fits the mold much better than some of the other cast members. The problem, as Hogan mentions, is he's friends with Stallone and his phone has yet to ring. You can contribute to this Facebook page if you want to see it happen though.
Do you think Hogan was actually offered The Wrestler? What about seeing him in The Expendables 3?