At a time when many pro wrestlers were constantly trying to make their mark in Hollywood and failing, including the likes of Hulk Hogan, Dwayne Johnson was the one who broke the cycle. But it seems that The People’s champion wasn’t much welcomed in the industry at the beginning of his acting career.
Dwayne Johnson revealed that the actor was asked to meet certain conditions to land different acting jobs. Even though the actor tried to stick to the industry’s demands, he eventually refused to change his demeanor to match the rest of the stars to build his Hollywood career.
Dwayne Johnson was asked to change his physique and demeanor for Hollywood
During his early days in the movie industry, Dwayne Johnson revealed that he was asked to stop working out and lose weight to fit their description and drop the name Rock, which he adopted in his wrestling days. But the Black Adam star was having none of it and didn’t bow down to Hollywood’s wants and kept on being himself. Johnson stated,
“They said, ‘Okay, great. But now here’s what you have to do: You have to stop working out as much. You have to lose weight. You can’t call yourself The Rock. You can’t talk about wrestling. That was it. When that happened, I made a choice, and the choice was, I wasn’t gonna conform to Hollywood. Hollywood was gonna conform to me.”
And the actor’s decision to stick with his personality eventually paid off as he soon got to debut through the movie, The Mummy Returns, and soon became one of the most renowned celebrities. But it appears that there was another person who always stood by The Rock’s side when the industry pushed him up against the wall.
Dany Garcia came in support of The Rock at his lowest point
Dwayne Johnson has always shared a special and unique bond with his ex-wife Dany Garcia, who is presently his manager. But at the beginning of his Hollywood career, when The Skyscraper actor was being pushed down by the industry, Dany Garcia was the one who came to The Rock’s aid.
After finding himself in trouble with the industry, Johnson fired his old team and Garcia didn’t think twice before leaving her old job at Wall Street to accompany Johnson to build his acting career. Even though the couple has parted ways in personal life, the two still share a great professional bond to this date. Dany Garcia stated,
“I was always in the background guiding him, giving counsel, and adding a business point of view to all the decisions“
Dwayne Johnson is now regarded as one of the biggest movie stars in the industry and has starred in numerous blockbusters throughout his career. And the aspect of the actor that the industry tried to bury was ultimately the defining factor of Dwayne Johnson’s legacy.
Source: CBS Sunday Morning
