Booker T Reveals Why Turned Down Acting Career

Booker T isn’t chasing Hollywood clout—and he never has.

The six-time world champion revealed on The Underground Dialogue podcast that he’s walked away from multiple acting opportunities, not because he couldn’t do it, but because the lifestyle just wasn’t worth the trade-off.

While many wrestlers dream of a crossover into movies, Booker explained that staying on set for months at a time simply didn’t fit the life he wanted to live.

“You know, I’ve had a lot of opportunities to go into the acting world. It’s not something I want to do. I don’t want to do it.”

Advertising

Advertising

For Booker, the grind of the movie business wasn’t something he admired—even if the paycheck looked good.

“Being on set is something that—you got to be made a certain way to do that. Cuz you’re on set all day. Sometimes you’re doing that stuff months at a time. You get paid a lot of money, but I don’t think money make you rich. I really don’t. Quality of life, man.”

The hosts pushed back, pointing out that Booker had spent years performing high-risk matches in the ring. But the legend made it clear that wrestling had a bigger purpose in his life than just entertainment.

“Well, in my prime, in my heyday, when I was coming up—that’s just the nature of the beast. I was trying to create something. I was trying to create a legacy.”

“I wanted young kids watching me—just like I watched Junkyard Dog—to be able to see a Black man perform at the highest level, go as far as any man has ever gone.”

Even at the height of his in-ring career, Booker was planning for his future. He wasn’t going to let wrestling break him down before figuring out what came next.

“I started thinking about retirement when I was 30 years old. I got in the wrestling business when I was 25. I didn’t want to be a broken-down, beat-up wrestler, and that be the only thing people remembered me for.”

“I’m 60 and I feel pretty damn good—and look pretty damn good for 60. And that’s because I started thinking about life after wrestling early.”

Booker T’s outlook proves that not every opportunity is worth taking—especially when it comes at the cost of peace, health, and happiness.

Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.