“This Guy’s Too Tall”: David Spade’s Height Came Between Tony Hawk and His First Hollywood Stint

The legendary skateboarder, Tony Hawk is a man of many talents. From being one of the most influential athletes to starring in popular films, the Birdman has done it all. The skateboarding champion is also widely acknowledged for his athletic physique and exemplary stature. However, during his prime, he was once rejected from a movie solely because of his height.

A few years back, Tony recalled the time when he got jilted from a film because of his height. 

Tony Hawk got rejected from a film because of his height

In 2019, Tony Hawk sat down for an interview with GQ Sports. Throughout the conversation, he broke down the skating scenes from some of the best Hollywood movies. Tony thoroughly discussed the behind-the-scenes skating prompts of each movie. At one point, he was asked to break down the skating scenes of the movie ‘Police Academy 4’. It turned out, Tony also has a brief appearance in the movie.

As per the talk, it was Hawk’s first time working on a movie set. He was working as a stunt double for the actor, David Spade. So, in other words, Tony was performing the skating prompts for David. Tony further revealed that he had undergone a growth spurt during the shoot, “I went through a growth spurt.” Tony elaborated, “From the time I got hired for this movie to the time it shot, I actually had grown quite a bit.”

Read More: Far Away From the Skateboard, Tony Hawk Walks on Crutches but Gives a Stellar Performance on Stage

However, the elevation in Tony’s height led to the end of his stint in ‘Police Academy 4’, as the director said, “this guy is too tall to stunt double for David Spade, so we gotta get rid of him.”

Tony Hawk’s career in cinema

‘Police academy 4’ is not the only movie where Hawk has appeared. He made his debut with the movie ‘Thrashin’ in 1986. The Birdman has done some exceptional jobs in his career as an actor. He also has a series of cameos and voiceovers in his pocket.

However, in most of his cinematic appearances, Tony appeared as himself. For instance, Tony voiced his own character in an episode of the American sitcom, The Simpsons. He also appeared in Disney’s Zeke and Luther as himself. Although Tony might be got rejected because of his height, he had some significant roles to his name.

We all know how impressive Hawk’s persona is. The skateboarder’s height is one of his best brownie points. However, his stature didn’t favor his fortunes in one of his earliest cinematic ventures.

Watch This Story:  Tony Hawk, Magic Johnson, and more. Here’s how these athletes turned into big entrepreneurs