Full disclosure: I wrote a movie called Vendetta. It was co-produced by WWE Studios and Lionsgate Entertainment, directed by Jen and Sylvia Soska, and stars Dean Cain and WWE’s own Paul “Big Show” Wight as super-baddie Victor Abbott. Vendetta comes out in limited theatrical release and on VOD on Friday, but yesterday I got to chat with Big Show about making the jump from wrestling to movies, what it felt like to play a coldblooded killer, and how he wishes he had paid more attention to T-shirts 20 years ago.

I’m not sure if anyone has mentioned this to you or not, but I actually wrote Vendetta and, on a personal note, I wanted to say how cool it was to see you bring that character to life.

No, I did not know you were the one who wrote Vendetta. That’s fantastic. Thank you very much for allowing me to do that. Hopefully it’s gonna do a lot to help me move forward. Write something else for me! [laughs]

I’ll see what I can do. [laughs] So Vendetta filmed almost a year ago now, and when that sort of thing happens you’re pulled out of ring action. Did shooting the movie serve as a good break for you from wrestling?

It was good for me because it gave me a chance to get off the TV. I think sometimes I’m on TV a little bit too much. It’s hard for me to maintain the uniqueness of my character, even though I’m very unique and one of a kind. But because I’m actually pretty good at what I do—as far as working with other talent, being dependable, making the shows, and pulling ratings—that I tend to work a lot more than a guy of my uniqueness should work. So any time I get a chance to go away, and still do something creative and put my character and myself in a different light, I always appreciate that opportunity.

I got to spend three weeks in Vancouver; it was summertime, the weather was beautiful, and the people were very cool. And I got to work with the (Soska) twins, have fun on a really great project, and work with some amazing people: Dean Cain; Michael Eklund; Adrian Holmes, and Kyra Zagorsky.

Kyra was amazing to work with. I don’t want to give away too much, but you know the scene I’m talking about. It was very cool to see how she was into it. It was funny because, after the scene was over, I was a little shook. Once you get into a scene or a character you have to be in that moment; you have to become that sadistic guy to pull it off. And after we got done shooting that series of scenes, I was shaken, and she came over and said, “Are you okay?” And I said, “I’m a little effed up on the whole deal.” She gave me a big hug and said, “It was great. You were great.” She’s wonderful. There was a lot of physicality between her and I, and she was tough, man. She was fierce. So I was very thankful to get to work with people like that.

It’s funny you bring up that scene, because I was amazed it made the cut the way it did. I know the end result had to be there, but it ended up being pretty brutal.

I was surprised, too, when I saw it, that most of it made it. And just the way the twins shot it—the way the camera angles told the story—there was no doubt in your mind what went down.

Prior to Vendetta you had done a lot of comedies like MacGruber, The Waterboy, and Knucklehead. Was it a good change of pace to do something more action based this time around?

It was. I mean, I have comedic timing, and it’s always fun to see a big guy be goofy and have a sense of humor by poking fun at himself. But this is the first time I’ve actually had to apply an acting craft. Being a good actor is a skill set, one you train for. And just like wrestling, it’s a skill that I’ve had to work at to build my character; the role of good guy, heel or face... whatever I had to do. I’ve found the same thing with acting.

This role was a lot harder for me, maintaining that intensity of the character, holding a lot of the power in and instead expressing it through my eyes and facial expressions. This is the first real acting job I’ve ever had to do.

A lot of the other stuff I’ve done, I’m just cutting loose and having fun, and that works for those characters. For this one, I really had to go to some dark places. And then afterward there was a lot of introspection: “How did I find that dark guy? Is he really in me? Because if he is, I’m really uncomfortable knowing that I have that dark side.” [laughs] What do I need to do to purge that? Because that guy is one evil S.O.B.

So it was really challenging, and I appreciate, obviously, you for writing the script, (executive producer) Michael Luisi and the Soskas for giving me the opportunity, and the actors they put around me.

Everyone’s professionalism was so sound that I was able to focus on what I needed to do for the scene. When you get the chance to work with great actors and directors, you have that pinball interaction and can then take a script and bring it alive. That’s the fun part; that’s why you do it. You don’t do it to be famous; you don’t do it to make money. You do it because you’re an entertainer.

I read you have an interest in expanding your acting career, particularly beyond roles that are strictly based on your size. Is there a particular project or genre you’d love to tackle?

I don’t really know what’s out there and available to me. I know that now that Marvel and DC are doing a lot of the superhero films, there might be a chance for me to pull out a role because of my size. But it’s gonna be a tough road for me to convince studios to take a chance on me for different roles because of my size. Because that’s the first thing you see. I have enormous hands. I’m an enormous human being. So it becomes an issue where, am I so big that it takes away from an entire scene? So I’ve just got to put myself out there and see if I’m fortunate enough to get a chance to play different roles.

I don’t think I’m ever gonna have the ability to be a leading guy like the Rock, because with my size it’s hard to achieve the sympathy and vulnerability that audiences need to empathize with a good guy. I think I’ll have an opportunity to play a lot of bad guys in the future, and that’s okay. It’s one of those things where I have to take what I can get, try make the most of it, and earn my stripes like everyone else. I’m just looking forward to any opportunity that comes along.

You’ve been wrestling for almost 20 years now. If the present day Big Show could go back and give the 1995 Big Show a bit of advice, what would you tell yourself?

To concentrate more on the merchandise.[laughs] Concentrate on those T-shirts. I came up with a lot of guys—Stone Cold Steve Austin, John Cena—and all those guys were concentrating on their merch. They got their brand out there, and they’re making millions. I never had that. I was just a wrestler that made a living as a performer. If I had paid more attention to merch I’d have a bunch of mailbox money coming in. John Cena teases me and says that if money were my merchandise still nobody would buy it.[laughs] And that’s pretty accurate.

Vendetta with Big Show and Dean Cain is in theaters and on demand starting June 12.