Ian Ziering Almost Said No to ‘Sharknado,’ Which Would Have Been a Total Travesty [VIDEO]
Ian Ziering -- former 'Beverly Hills, 90210' actor turned Chippendale dancer turned guy who jumped headfirst into a great white and then chainsawed his way out -- almost turned down the role in 'Sharknado' that added that last part to his resume.
"When I first read the script, there were a lot of holes in it. There was a lot of trepidation in even doing this, because I wasn’t sure it was going to be a success. There were just so many holes in the script, I mean, how were they going to do this?" explained Ziering, who apparently didn't understand the SyFy movie was meant to be bad.
"I kinda was [hesitant] but [my wife] was like, ‘We’ve got two kids, you’re going to work, do it. You’re going to work.'"
(This is the same lady who gave him the go-ahead to dance for hormonal women for cash, so she's obviously a wife and a savvy businesswoman.)
Ziering said that in the end, though, he took the role mostly to impress his little ones. "[There's a scene] where I get to chainsaw my way out of the belly of a shark? I just needed that on film so I could show that to my kids one day and their grandkids and let them know that Grandpa Ian was pretty cool," he laughed.
Since the flick aired (and blew up the internet), he's been getting offers left and right -- so much so that he likens his 'Sharknado' appearance to John Travolta's comeback role in 'Pulp Fiction.'
Next up for the actor? The 'Sharknado' sequel, 'Sharknado Too: Sharknado Vs. Octoquake.' Which may not actually be the working title, but should be.