Why Sharknado 3 is the film celebrities want to be in, which features lots of cameos
AS the cult of Sharknado rears its fins for a third time tonight, star Ian Ziering says it’s now the so-bad-it’s-good movie that celebrities want on their CV.
IT’S the movie so ludicrous it become a hit franchise, and as schlockbuster Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No prepares to unleash, leading man Ian Ziering still revels in the ridiculousness.
For the uninitiated, Sharknado is what it says on the can — sharks, in a tornado, attacking anything that moves — unashamed B-grade movie magic.
The first Sharknado saw sharks attack Los Angeles before Ziering’s hero Fin Shephard saved the day — and stole the show — by cutting his way out of a shark with a chainsaw.
Similar scenes played out, this time in New York, in Sharknado 2.
Sharknado 3 — which premieres in Australia tonight just an hour after the US broadcast — hits the entire US East Coast, and former Beverly Hills 90210 Ziering promises it’s as amped as ever.
MORE: Behind the scenes of Sharknado 3
“We don’t play it tongue in cheek — this is a movie and for an hour and half or two hours as an audience member you distance yourself from reality and accept that a sharknado could happen and once you’re able to do that, you have fun,” Ziering says.
“But between takes … we laugh so hard.”
Sharknado has become an American summer event and social media phenomenon — Sharknado 2 received more than one billion Twitter impressions, according to creators SyFy.
The result is everyone wants to join in the fun — with a long line of actors lining up for cameos or guest roles in Sharknado 3.
David ‘The Hoff’ Hasselhoff with play Ziering’s father in the film. Bo Derek lines up as April’s (Tara Reid) mother. Others on the long list of cameos include Jackie Collins; Irish singing duo Jedward, political commentator Ann Coulter, Jerry Springer, NSYNC’s Chris Kirkpatrick, Playboy girls Holly Madison and Kendra Wilkinson, Penn & Teller, singer Ne-Yo and US The Today Show anchors Matt Lauer, Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker, Natalie Morales, Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb.
“I think it’s because it’s such a fun movie. And we certainly look to find some fantastic cameos but there’s no shortage now of people who would love to be taken out by a shark, just so they could put it on their resume and have a giggle and a laugh,” Ziering says.
“It’s become like a badge of honour on the IMDb (internet Movie Database) site to have been a part of a Sharknado movie.”
For the record, ‘The Hoff’ has promised it will be “the worst movie you’ve ever seen”.
“Everybody is in on the joke, and it is so much fun,” he said, adding that he and Ziering would “fall to the ground laughing” after takes.
Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No screens tonight at 9.30pm on SYFY
A-listers with ‘bad attitudes’ called out
Chris Pratt has ripped into celebrities who have been difficult to work with on movie sets as he promoted his new film at Comic-Con.
Actor’s awkward Swift audition: ‘Intimate’
Eddie Redmayne has opened up about his “intimate” screen test with Taylor Swift – and how it all went so wrong.
Trouble as star tries to sell Sydney apartment
This month, two highly-anticipated auctions were set to take place in Sydney, but both were pulled at the last minute. Here’s why.