The Shakespeare Adaptation You Had No Idea Hulk Hogan And Ozzy Osbourne Were In

Hollywood is a strange place where you never know who will pop-up in a given project, especially if that movie is animated. All-star voice casts have become almost standard operating procedure for a lot of these films, and they keep happening because audiences enjoy hearing their favorite actors in any setting. But, did you know that Ozzy Osbourne and Hulk Hogan actually starred in a random animated feature together? 

If you're surprised, you wouldn't be the only one, as most people probably don't think about "Gnomeo & Juliet" very much these days. But, back in 2011, this strange little Shakespeare adaptation managed to do some tidy little business for itself.

"Gnomeo & Juliet" is one of the weirder adaptations of William Shakespeare's "Romeo & Juliet," starring James McAvoy and Emily Blunt in the title roles. Instead of the Montagues and Capulets, "Gnomeo & Juliet" focuses on the Bluebury and Redbrick families. Just like in the Shakespeare original, a young man (gnome, in this case?) and woman (gnoman?) fall into a starcrossed entanglement. However, "Gnomeo & Juliet" swerves that dour ending for the couple through some clever machinations that subvert the Shakespearian tragedy audiences might be expecting.

Ozzy Osbourne and Hulk Hogan aren't part of the main cast of characters, but the metal musician ends up playing a pretty sizable role as a secondary antagonist for "Gnomeo & Juliet," with his villainous character Fawn backing up Jason Statham's Tybalt. Hogan, meanwhile, plays the voice behind a Terrafirminator lawnmower TV advert that ends up providing tension near the climax of the movie.

Throughout "Gnomeo & Juliet", Ozzy Osbourne's Fawn whispers encouragement behind Tybalt, who consistently feuds with Gnomeo's friends. The fact that Osbourne's character is a little deer statue is played for laughs, and this kind of gag was common during The Prince of Darkness's later period. As a frontman for Black Sabbath, Osbourne was nothing short of a metal god, but in the '00s and beyond, Ozzy leaned into his comedic side a lot as audiences got a taste of the man beyond biting bats. That sharp wit really never left, and you get some menace with a side of laughs with Fawn in "Gnomeo & Juliet."

For Hulk Hogan, his role as the voice of the Terrafirminator fits right into the larger "Hulkamaniac" brand during the early part of the '10s. Yes, the Hulkster was a World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Famer, and one of the instantly recognizable faces in pop culture, but he was also an early example of "person as brand" too. For a man that sold Hulkamania Workout Sets and a Hulk Hogan Thunder Mixer, hearing his voice associated with a dangerous lawnmower that threatens one of our main characters is pretty funny casting by the creative team. This is a guy who would have his voice attached to pretty much anything, and it showed throughout his life, so the choice here tracks perfectly well.

"Gnomeo & Juliet" might have an eccentric mix of stars, but all the voices involved seem to buy into what's going on. That's hard to find sometimes in the world of mainstream animated family movies. The casting of Ozzy Osbourne and Hulk Hogan in "Gnomeo & Juliet" tells you a lot about where they were at this point in both of their careers. Who would have thought Shakespeare, of all things, could teach us that?