When Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story hit theaters in 2004, it wasn’t expected to be as successful. But its unexpected combination of humor, mayhem, and celebrity cameos seemed to have created some kind of magic, and to this day, it’s a comedy classic. One of those cameos was Chuck Norris, and his stolid tough-guy persona appearing in such a ridiculous movie was a delight for viewers. But when the movie came out, Norris saw something he never expected.

Chuck Norris, the iconic tough guy

No one could have known when Norris was born in Ryan, Oklahoma in 1940 that he would grow up to be such a towering example of masculinity. According to Biography, Norris described himself as a shy boy who did not do well in school.

He was the eldest of three brothers and his father was an alcoholic. When his parents divorced, his father abandoned his children. His mother took the children to live in California when Norris was 10 years old. After high school, Norris joined the Air Force and was stationed in South Korea. It was there that he began to study martial arts.

After leaving the Air Force in 1962, Norris began working as a karate instructor, eventually opening more than 30 studios. He, too, dominated competition, including the World Middleweight Karate Championship in 1968. He defended that title five times before retiring in 1974.

In the early ’70s, he began appearing in movies, thrilling audiences with his fierce martial arts battles in movies like Way of the Dragon and Good Guys Wear Black. He made the transition to television acting in 1993, starring in Walker, Texas Ranger, cementing his image as a man of few words and quick justice. But not all of his acting roles were equally worthy.

‘Dodgeball’ was an unexpected movie for him

In 2004, a sports comedy called Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story came out. It was a satire of the sports movie genre and was an unexpected hit. According to Film School Rejects, Dodgeball followed Peter (Vince Vaughn), who fights to save his gym from White Goodman (Ben Stiller). Unless Peter can raise $50,000 in thirty days, his gym will be destroyed. He forms an unlikely dodgeball team to enter a competition in an attempt to raise the money he needs.

Along the way, several stars made guest appearances in the film. David Hasselhoff, Lance Armstrong, and William Shatner had cameos. One of the other famous faces you’ll find in Dodgeball is Norris. But his cameo didn’t turn out exactly as expected.

Surprised by Ben Stiller

Mental Floss reports that when Norris was first approached about doing a cameo in Dodgeball, he was not interested. His main objection was that he didn’t want to drive three hours to get to the film set in Long Beach. To convince him, Stiller called to ask Norris personally, and he offered him a helicopter ride, so he could skip the trip. Norris agreed, but he never read the entire script, only the scene in which he appeared.

But when the movie hit theaters, Norris finally saw everything, including the last line, which shocked him.

“But in the end, when Ben is a big fat guy and watches TV, the last line in the whole movie is, ‘F***in’ Chuck Norris!’” Norris explained. “My mouth dropped open to here… I said, ‘Holy mackerel!’ That was a shock, Ben didn’t tell me about it!

Norris was apparently able to take the line in good spirits. Considering his martial arts background and skill, Stiller is probably very glad he did.