Dwayne Johnson names the single greatest actor of all time: “That got me”
When Dwayne Johnson left the world of professional wrestling for a career on the big screen, and with very few wrestlers being able to make the leap to Hollywood successfully, people laughed.
If Hulk Hogan, the biggest star in the industry’s history, couldn’t do it, then could anyone really do it, was the question asked. Of course, we now know that Johnson very much could, as he’s one of the most famous people on the planet and, crucially, paved the way for other grapplers to get their foot in the door.
Despite regularly plying his trade in the action movie market, the former WWE champion has shared the screen with some of the finest dramatic actors of his generation. The Scorpion King might have been a pile of trash, but it did give Johnson the opportunity to work with Michael Clarke Duncan, as well as save JK Simmons’ Santa Claus in Red One, inspire a young Florence Pugh in Fighting with My Family, and work under Julie Andrews in Tooth Fairy.
Then, there’s also his very lucrative relationship with Emily Blunt, which led to them being asked on the show ‘GOAT Talk’ as part of Complex’s YouTube channel, to give their verdict on who the greatest actor of all time is. The Englishwoman initially accepted her Smashing Machine co-star’s suggestion of Meryl Streep, before throwing Denzel Washington into the mix, and as for ‘The Rock’, he opted for somebody a tad unexpected, promptly naming “James Stewart”, and adding, “It’s a Wonderful Life. That got me”.
This isn’t the first time Johnson has spoken about his love for the enduring holiday favourite, wherein Stewart’s earnest and uncompromising performance of everyday hero George Bailey elevates the picture beyond a traditional tale of morality. In the hands of a lesser actor, Bailey might have come across as cheesy and unrealistic, but with Stewart on board, he became one of the greatest heroes in cinematic history.
The ‘Brahma Bull’ isn’t the only person to have a thing for the tall, polite icon, as he was also a five-time Oscar nominee, picking up the coveted ‘Best Actor’ prize in 1941 for The Philadelphia Story and a second ‘Honorary’ trophy in 1985. When the American Film Institute (AFI) released their list of ‘100 Years… 100 Stars’, he placed third of all time on their list of males, with only Humphrey Bogart and Cary Grant finishing higher. He is still held up as one of the finest examples of a golden era star and has been aped and parodied countless times by people looking to poke fun at that moment in time.
The really fascinating thing about Johnson’s love for Stewart is that they couldn’t be more different. Ol’ Jimmy made a name for himself playing ordinary people, his charm lying in his approachability and the juxtaposition that one of the most famous men in the world also seemed like one of the most normal.
As for Johnson, he’s always been seen as something of a caricature, a hulking, bruising tough guy who looks like he’s been carved by the gods themselves, which is why it’s always funny to watch him try and play a ‘normal guy’ when it looks like he’s just eaten a house.
Perhaps this is what draws the current megastar to the former one, for Stewart possesses qualities that Johnson never could, and vice versa, such that Johnson couldn’t have made It’s a Wonderful Life and Stewart definitely couldn’t have made Baywatch.
