European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 15, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse My i for movie East ing Calls Andre the giant 7-foot-4 is one of several wrestlers taking his act out of the ring and onto the bid screen Rowdy Roddy , below stars a they live his third movie. Piper retired from wrest no to years ago. By Larry Mcshane associated Pressi n the world of acting there Are the Blue bloods sir John Gielgud. Lord Olivier. Enter King Kong Bundy. Gielgud and Olivier work on Hamlet. Bundy works on Hulk Hogan s head. Of so it s not the Royal Academy of dramatic Art. But Bundy a 450-Pound, Bald domed professional wrestler is getting his share of casting Calls. Bundy and a growing number of his fellow grapplers have gone Hollywood. If you think about it it makes a lot of sense in the right environment says Myrna Gardner a world wrestling federation marketing director. They re very experienced great in front of the producers and directors evidently agree. Grapplers big Andre the giant 7-foot-4 in the Princess Bride and Small the Haiti kid a midget in Penitentiary Iii currently Are available on the shelves of video stores. Bundy has appeared with Richard Pryor in the film moving and appeared As a guest on the Fox network show married. With children. Jesse the body Ventura has enjoyed prime roles in the Arnold Schwarzenegger Box office smashes predator and the running Man. Superstar Billy Graham has a film due soon. Tiger Chung Lee worked on Eddie Murphy s the Golden child. Big John Studd appeared in 1984 s Mick and Maude and on shows like the a team and Beauty and the beast. Rowdy Roddy s third film is John Carpenter s they Lve and next year Hogan perhaps America s Best known professional wrestler the Force behind Hulk Amania a Man whose likeness can be found on More gift items than Elvis Presley will Star in no holds barred. The huckster will appear As wrestler rip Ohrem. Such typecasting is not unusual rarely do wrestlers play romantic leads. I m not Robert Redford i m a villain says big John Studd a 6-foot-9, Blond haired Behemoth. It does t bother me to play that kind of character. I be been doing it my whole playing that character you mean wrestlers Are acting out there Well yes but not the Way you think the wrestlers say. The performance is not in the ring at least no one admits to that. It s developing a Persona and taking it on the Road creating a Good or evil character for televised interviews and Arenas around the country bad Guy Rowdy Roddy says he was so convincing in this violent version of the Strasberg school that irate fans stabbed him three times and shot at him once. In Charlotte n.c., i was stabbed an Inch from my heart. They re carrying me out on a Stretcher and people were spitting at me throwing garbage at me recalls almost wistfully. Piper retired from the ring two years ago and turned actor at a moment when Hollywood was newly receptive to wrestlers. I think the headlines the National exposure of Hulk Hogan and the world wrestling federation opened a lot of people s eyes says Ventura a former Whf tag team titlist and current wrestling announcer. People started seeing us in a new Light. They finally realized hey these Guys Are talented at what they do " while Tough Guy roles Are the Norm some wrestlers have been asked to play against Type. Andre the giant the most hated Man in wrestling according to one ring publication played the gentle giant Fetzick in the critically acclaimed Princess Bride and Drew favourable reviews. The giant s acting instincts Are pure and natural says director Rob Reiner. He never missed a but Princess Bride a Sweet tempered humorous fairy tale was an extraordinary use of these King size performers. The wrestlers know that More often than Page 16 the stars and stripes
