Slipknot’s Corey Taylor On How He Got The ‘Ridiculous’ Role In ‘Sharknado: The 4th Awakens’

A few years ago, Corey Taylor played a small part in 2016’s ‘Sharknado: The 4th Awakens.’ He recently spoke with Spotlight Report about this experience, sharing insights into his role and the shooting process.

The singer explained why his character was called ‘number 8’ in the film:

“That was actually Tommy Davidson’s [idea]. He, in the moment, was like, ‘Wait, what was your number on Slipknot?’ I told him, and that’s what he referred to me in the movie, which was really cool.”

Taylor’s Role In ‘Sharknado’

Since the filming for ‘Sharknado 4’ took place in Chicago and Las Vegas, Taylor revealed how he joined the cast, including names like Ian Ziering and Tara Reid, by saying:

“I literally live in Vegas. So, when I heard – When they were shooting there, they were trying to get as many as celebrities as possible. So, they were like, ‘You want to be in?’ I was like, ‘Of course, I want to be in it! Are you nuts?'”

About the filming process, he added:

“So, I literally went down. They filmed my part of the stratosphere. I shot down. I hung out in horrible clothing for about four or five hours shot my thing. It was that quick, and drove home and I went to bed. That was it. So, it was just one of those things where I was lucky enough to be at home and lucky enough to be doing something that ridiculous. We had a lot of fun with it.”

The Role’s Announcement

The news of Taylor’s part in the film first came out during an interview with Loudwire at LiveNation’s National Concert Day, ahead of its release on July 31, 2016. The singer said:

“I shot a weird cameo for Sharknado 4, which is awesome. The thing is, I don’t get eaten by a shark. That’s all I can tell you about it.”

Mentioning plans for more acting gigs, he went on:

“I would love to do more acting. In fact, if anyone’s listening, I would love to audition for your weird indie horror movie. I’ll be zombie number six – and I’ll bring my own lunch.”

The Singer’s Acting Career

A little before appearing in ‘Sharknado 4,’ Taylor marked his first featured role in a film with ‘Fear Clinic.’ Talking about his role and acting career in an interview at the Screamfest Horror Film Festival in 2014, he revealed:

“Acting has always been something that I’ve wanted to do. Obviously, I’ve dabbled in it a little bit with music videos and everything, and with every music video, when that opportunity arises, I try to push it a little more. But I’ve wanted to do a full-on acting gig, where it’s a character who’s not me.”

By 2023, the vocalist had appeared in eight films, taking on various roles. One of them was an action thriller, ‘Officer Downe,’ directed by his Slipknot bandmate, Shawn Crahan.