WWE legend Kurt Angle has opened up on his future Hollywood dreams after admitting he was previously forced to reject a major role in hit movie Pearl Harbor.
The former Olympic champion, 54, said he was lined up for a main character part in the 2001 wartime drama, but the WWE made him turn down the approaches.
Kurt revealed he was "gasping" for the role at the time, but his bosses at the WWE simply wouldn't sanction it.
Speaking to the Mirror, he said: "Unfortunately, the WWE turned it down. They didn't want to do it. The company was a monster at the time. They were doing high ratings and making a lot of money. They didn't want to lose any of their wrestlers."
He added: "What happened is, if you remember when Rock [Dwayne Johnson] left, he didn't really come back. And, you know, I don't think the company wanted to see anybody else do that.
"They wanted to keep the talent that they had. So they decided not to put me in that movie which, you know, I totally understood but at the same time I think it would have added value to the WWE if they have a wrestler starring in a big movie like that.
"I think the crossover appeal would be great."
However, despite the setback, the WWE Hall of Famer called the moment "just a pause" and has now set his sights on huge roles in Marvel or DC.
Despite having featured in 15 films since retiring from pro wrestling in 2006, he believes he has a lot more to offer in the acting world and wants to follow in the footsteps of pals Dave Bautista, The Rock and John Cena and switch his talents to the comic book franchises.
"I love Marvel movies," he gushed. I'm a big superhero fan. I love DC too. You know, I see a lot of my friends doing those now. Dave Bautista, John Cena, The Rock.
"So, you know, a lot of my peers are doing it and hopefully one day I'll be able to do it."
Kurt's latest movie appearance comes in a cameo as himself in rom-com Ask Me To Dance, which features The Alphabet Killer's Tom Malloy and Step Up 2: The Streets star, Briana Evigan.
He says fans can expect to watch a great story and people will be able to relate to going on blind dates and not knowing what is ahead of you.
He has previously appeared in movies such as Pain and Gain, Warrior and The Last Witch Hunter and says he has a number of bigger projects lined up.
And he admits that being in the WWE certainly prepared him for the industry.
"Whatever character it is, they give you verbiage and you've got to memorise the verbiage," he said. "You've got to go out there and perform.
"The difference is in Hollywood you can do it over and over again - keep messing up and just keep doing it again.
"In pro wrestling you only get one chance out there live and you can't screw up, so it makes you even more apt to be an actor because you'll be able to do the scenes a lot quicker because you're not going to be messing up as much."
Kurt went on to say his focus right now is his acting career and confirmed he'll never wrestle again after his body "took a good beating" during his 42 years in the sport.
He candidly admitted he doesn't have a very good quality of life at present due to previous injuries which resulted in him having neck surgery three times, both knees replaced and requiring further operations on his back and neck.
However, he feels as though his acting career can only get better and he's looking forward to continuing his success in the industry, while also keeping his body healthy to be "a good father and a great husband".
Ask Me To Dance is available on Digital Download from February 13.
