Dwayne Johnson has proven himself to be one of the most likable and most bankable stars in Hollywood. The actor oozes confidence almost as much as he oozes strength and power, so it might surprise you to learn that the walking man-mountain that is The Rock felt somewhat nervous about his move from wrestling in the WWE to making movies. This insight came about thanks to the man himself answering fan questions via social media, with one fan asking him whether he felt much trepidation over his career move.
Johnson looked around at his already successful career and felt like he’d accomplished everything he set out to in the world of professional wrestling. But, he noticed what he really loved about his high-profile job was entertaining and connecting with people in an intimate way, and so he decided to set his sights on acting.
“… Even though I wrestled for 20-50,000 people, I wanted it to feel intimate and the connection to feel real. So, I found my power space in professional wrestling and when I had a goal to transition into acting, I knew then as I was transitioning when I was 29 making The Scorpion King, I knew then that in order for me to be a good actor and to have a career that had real longevity, and not just in it for 2-3 years, become this hot new actor, make a couple of action movies, maybe a comedy or two and then disappear, I didn’t want that.”
Johnson did not just want to make a few movies and then disappear, as so many wrestling stars have done before. No, he wanted to make it as a long-lasting actor, and it is pretty safe to say that he has achieved what he set out to do.
“I wanted to have a real, long-lasting career that had weight and had value. And I wanted to become a real box office presence. I wanted to have a real box office cache. And I wanted to be the #1 man in the world of Hollywood in terms of box office draw. That was my goal at 29-years-old and I was prepared to work my ass off but I also knew, I gave myself a 10-12 year plan, but life is so unpredictable. I was really nervous because I also knew historically it didn’t matter. Whoever was successful in another arena, just because you were a successful professional wrestler did not mean, in any uncertain terms, that you were gonna become a box office draw or a legitimate movie star. There were no guarantees.”
Well, Johnson certainly set his sights sky-high, but unbelievably he has gone on to accomplish all of it, with the actor being one of the biggest box office draws of the last few years, as well as being one of the highest-paid actors in the business.
The actor has certainly made an impressive career for himself on the big screen, becoming one of the biggest movie stars in the world. Since his somewhat shaky beginnings as The Skorpion King, Johnson has gone on to star in such memorable and varied movies including the likes of the Jumanji series, Moana and the Fast and Furious franchise. He will soon be suiting up as DC anti-hero Black Adam in his first superhero outing. This comes to us from The Rock’s official Instagram.
