“Wouldn’t Shakespeare be awesome? That black guy … could you imagine me in Othello? […] Anything you give me time to prepare, I can do. I don’t think I am ready for that yet, but I would like to try. My career as an actor has blossomed. I never considered myself a comedian or actor, even though I was in movies and shows helping out friends […] a lot of my friends are actors and directors and they say, ‘Mike, we need you to concentrate and take it seriously. They say my skills are horrible, but I have the natural timings for it. I am working on my skills.”

A quote from former boxing champ Mike Tyson, in an interview with the New York Daily News.

Clearly, he wants to stretch his abilities as an actor, which I suppose I can applaud, with the works of William Shakespeare in his sights.

Although it’s also good that he recognizes that he isn’t quite ready for the challenge yet, and is willing to put in the time to get himself there (unlike some others).

Tyson has been gradually building an acting resume in both TV and film, since he left boxing… maybe we’ll eventually see him in a play by the Bard, kicking off his stage career. Although, let’s not forget his 1-man show which Spike Lee directed. Although Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth was less of an acting performance and more of a the man giving audiences an inside look at his life, going beyond the headlines, from his years as a boxer, through to the present.

He continues to reinvent himself…