Mark Cuban reveals what it was like playing the US president in 'Sharknado 3,' where sharks rain down on the White House

Sharknado 3 The Global Asylum:Syfy.JPG

(The Global Asylum/Syfy/) Cuban with Ian Ziering in "Sharknado 3."

Warning: spoilers ahead

"Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!" is filled with outlandish moments and countless cameos.

But one of our favorites was the film's opening sequence in which Mark Cuban is revealed as the president of the United States.

Let's just say Cuban as POTUS is just as intense and in charge as he is in any episode of "Shark Tank."

In the opening of "Sharknado 3," franchise hero Fin (Ian Ziering) is at the White House to be given a medal for saving New York City from the sharknado in the previous movie. Cuban, as president, presents Fin with the award.

But it just so happens that a sharknado is forming in Washington, D.C., during the awards presentation. Before everyone knows it, sharks are raining down on the White House.

The president and Fin are taken by the secret service to a secure bunker only to find that the sharks have already taken it over. As the Secret Service officers begin to get taken out by the sharks, Fin is the only one left to protect the president. But as you can imagine, Cuban as president needs no protection.

The president leads Fin to the armory, and the two load up and begin to take out every shark in sight.

The scene concludes with the two jumping out of a window of the White House before the building explodes.

"I was fired up," Cuban told Business Insider via email about being offered the role of the president. "I had seen the previous two and knew it would be a blast."

Thunder Levin, who has written the script for all three "Sharknado" films, told Business Insider he came up with the White House sequence for "Sharknado 2," but it couldn't be used because Syfy wanted the film to take place in New York. The idea came back around for part three, and Levin said they wanted the sequence to be "Die Hard" meets "White House Down." For that, they needed a tough POTUS.

Mark Cuban

(Reuters)

"I thought Mark Cuban was inspired casting," Levin said. "He had a blast doing it and was really committed to it. So it was great fun to watch."

Cuban said doing all the action was a lot of fun, but what he really loved was playing a character, as he is often asked to play himself in movies and TV shows. He acknowledges he wants to do more acting.

"It's so different than business," the Dallas Mavericks owner said of acting. "In business, I know what I want to do. In acting, you just have to be there and see what happens. You have to let go. Got a movie to cast, I'm your guy!"

But did playing a gun-toting president give him any aspirations of getting into politics?

"Hell no," Cuban said. "Unless sharks in a tornado were attacking the White House. Then I would do it for America, baby!"

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