Kelly Slater has won 11 world titles, assumed the throne as surfing’s undeniable GOAT, and spent decades making the impossible look routine. But when it comes to his Hollywood career, the greatest surfer of all time apparently prefers feathers to red swimsuits.
During a recent appearance on Athletes After Hours with Gracie Kramer, the host presents an important question: which role did Slater enjoy more, Jimmy Slade on Baywatch or playing himself (as an animated penguin) in Surf’s Up?
Slater’s answer? Surf’s Up. See the clip linked here and below.
Not exactly a shock to anyone familiar with his rocky relationship with Baywatch.
In the early 1990s, Slater joined the hit lifeguard drama as Jimmy Slade, a van-dwelling surfer dreaming of going pro. He appeared in seven episodes alongside David Hasselhoff, getting caught up in beachside drama while simultaneously pursuing world championships.
In an excerpt from his autobiography published by SURFER, Slater remembered the audition:
“I did a horrible job, partly on purpose but also because I was a little nervous.”
Yet producers hired him anyway. He had his doubts. And he also, famously, dated his Baywatch costar, Pamela Anderson for a brief stint. But his cameo didn’t last long.
“When I was a kid, I wanted to be an actor, but when that became a reality I didn’t want to be at all,” Slater once said on another podcast.
He wanted to be taken seriously as a professional surfer, not a television heartthrob.
Fast-forward to 2007’s Surf’s Up, Sony’s animated mockumentary about Cody Maverick, a young penguin chasing surfing glory.
Slater and Rob Machado voiced penguin versions of themselves, appearing as surf-world reporters alongside a cast featuring Shia LaBeouf, Jeff Bridges, and Zooey Deschanel.
This time, Slater actually enjoyed himself.
“It was hard to get the sound right with all of the laughing and snickering,” he said of recording sessions with Machado and Sal Masekela.
Related: 12 Celebrities Who Actually Surf (And Some Seriously Rip)
The contrast makes his answer to Kramer a slam dunk.
One gig came with contractual obligations and embarrassment. The other let him play a cartoon penguin with his friends.
Eleven world titles. Two memorable Hollywood roles. One very clear winner.
Watch the full episode of the podcast below:
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