The two actors Dwayne Johnson always wanted to emulate
There is a long and fascinating history of professional wrestlers crossing over to the world of film. From Roddy Piper’s starring role in They Live to the more modern efforts of John Cena and Dave Bautista, stars of the ring have often translated that success to the big screen. It doesn’t always pay off, mind you. Just ask anyone who’s seen Mr. Nanny starring Hulk Hogan.
Undoubtedly, though, the most successful wrestler-turned-actor is Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. He’s among the highest-grossing and highest-earning actors of all time thanks to appearances in Moana, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, and the Fast & Furious series. Johnson could have only dreamt of these achievements when he first started out, although he did have lofty expectations right from the get-go.
Speaking to the BBC as he transitioned into cinema, Johnson named the two action heroes he admired for playing a variety of different roles. “If there are two guys I think have got it and personify that type of range, they would be Clint Eastwood and Bruce Willis,” said the former WWE Champion. He then went on to add, “If I could have something similar to the careers they’ve had, it would be great.”
With the power of hindsight, Johnson has done just that, attaining the same level of superstardom as his two idols and surpassing both of them in terms of box office revenue. At points, though, this didn’t always look possible. After initially doing well as a leading man in B-tier action flicks, Johnson’s career stalled. Remember Tooth Fairy? Dwayne Johnson would prefer it if you didn’t.
The movie Johnson was promoting during this interview was Walking Tall, in which he plays a soldier who returns to his hometown to find it overrun with sleaze and corruption. It was a remake of a 1973 film of the same name, which Johnson was asked about. “I know it very well,” he said with regard to the original, in which his part was played by Joe Don Baker. “I said I was actually interested in remaking it. So we actually went to the film company with the idea.” Unfortunately, despite this enthusiasm, the second version of Walking Tall was a bust and failed to match the first one in terms of profit and critical reception.
As The Rock, Johnson was one of the biggest stars in WWE—or WWF as it was at the time—during the late 1990s and early 2000s. His rivalry with ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin is regarded as one of the greatest in the history of the simulated sport. In fact, returning to his roots, he recently got back in the ring for the first time since 2016, competing in a main event tag team match at WrestleMania XL.
Back in 2004, Johnson was asked whether his wrestling colleagues had been dismissive of his efforts to make it as an actor. “Oh my God, no,” he responded. “It all comes under the entertainment umbrella, and there’s a profound respect for it. They’ve been really supportive.” A good thing they were, too, as he helped set the blueprint for how to achieve mainstream success as a wrestler in Hollywood. Without The Rock, we may never have gotten Drax the Destroyer, and that would have been a crying shame.
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