HELLO AMERICA!—Very seldom a developing Hollywood star stops you in your tracks when attempting to attach a label that doesn’t fit who he really is. Our person of interest will quickly inform you that he is not “The Rock” but Dwayne Johnson, an actor.
He made it very clear that even though he is grateful for any kind of positive signature, especially when knowing what kind of dog eat dog business our entertainment industry is known for.
“I come from a hard-hitting life and background which gave me a tremendous respect for reality,” Dwayne noted. “I refuse to be boxed into a non-functioning, boring label which can be easily overworked or promoted and later determined as box office poison.”
It is important to remember that Johnson comes from a well-respected family known for wrestling. His grandfather was wrestler Peter “High Chief” Farene Malvia and son of Rocky Johnson. He religiously watched his dad’s moves in the ring.
“Even though I was impressed with how my dad handled himself as a fighter,” he noted, “I deep down needed to discover what I could offer in a different kind of sport.” As a result, when he entered the University of Miami he was hot and heavy with excitement to become a member of the football team.
“For a while, everything was going great. I loved the game and was building tremendous respect from students and general fans until it happened. During one of the games, I had a back injury which killed any chance of my getting a spot in the NFL,” said Johnson.
The injury did not circumvent his need and desire to utilize his dream to be recognized as another member of his family as someone special. When realizing his dream of becoming a football star wasn’t in the cards, he joined the Word Wrestling Federation. This is when he came to be known as “The Rock,” he feuded with wrestler Steve Austin and won the WWF Heavyweight title six times. Johnson quickly parlayed his wrestling fame into a film career, appearing in films that included 2001’s “The Mummy Returns” and 2010’s “The Tooth Fairy.”
“I realize how lucky I’ve been” he quickly admits. “I firmly believe that one experiences very low times in order to search for something which is exceeding more powerful and challenging. And I very quickly, after working as an actor in films, understood more clearly that hard work and serious determination can generate fantastic results. Before I knew it I was co-starring in such film projects as “Fast and Furious” films, “San Andreas” and of course the HBO series “’Ballers.’”
When asked how he felt being named PEOPLE magazine’s “Sexist Man Alive,” he roared quite loudly and said, “I looked in the mirror and yelled, YOU MUST BE KIDDING!” Then he became suddenly quiet and added, “Hey man, it’s just another title which means I have to work even harder to keep my place and billing up there with the best of them!”
