Camille Moore
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is the kind of man you just know by sight. He has such a recognizable face because he’s been famous for so long. He began his career as an athlete, and he’s become one of the most famous actors of this generation. No matter how big and imposing he is with all his muscle and his build, he’s the kind of man who always comes across so approachable and enjoyable. Perhaps it’s his quick, welcoming smile or the fact he tends to play some really fun characters. Whatever it is, we bet you don’t know everything about the man we call The Rock.
Shutterstock
He Understands Female Issues
Hollywood is big on body issues, and many women go through a lot to meet industry standards in regard to their body shape and size. The Rock had to do the same, but a little bit different. He needed to slim down in regard to how much muscle mass and size he had on him. He’s already tall and naturally a big man, but with all his workouts and his muscle, he made other big men look too small on camera.
Shutterstock
Wrestling is a Family Sport
The Rock might seem great at everything he does, but he didn’t make it to the NFL. That was difficult on him, as it would be any college football player with a dream. However, wrestling is a sport he enjoyed, and it’s something that he knew a lot about before he got into it. His grandfather and his father were both wrestlers. His grandfather is Peter “High Chielf” Maivia, and his father is Rocky Johnson. It’s something he should be good at with all that famous wrestling blood in his body.
Shutterstock
…But He Wasn’t Wealthy
With a famous wrestler for a grandfather as well as a father, you might think Dwayne Johnson had a pretty nice upbringing. However, that’s just not the case. His family struggled financially when he grew up, and that led him to spend a little time in trouble when he was in high school. He lived on the island of O’ahu, and he was part of a ring of thieves that ended up in trouble for stealing in Waikiki.
Shutterstock
His Dad Didn’t Want Him Wrestling
According to Johnson, his father was not happy that his son wanted to join the family business when he first announced it. We don’t know why he didn’t want him to join wrestling, what he thought might be wrong with it, or why he was opposed to it. However, it turns out whatever he was worried about seems to have been avoided as his son is highly successful. He’s managed to succeed in every venture he’s ever tried – at least that he’s tried to our knowledge.
Shutterstock
He Played NCAA Football
When he was growing up, The Rock was a pretty athletic kid. He seemed to like sports well enough to continuously play them throughout this childhood, and that includes playing college football for the University of Miami. He was, according to his former coach, a player who was recruited heavily out of high school. The Hurricanes even brought home the national championship while he was on the team.
Shutterstock
He Played With A Great NFL Star
When Johnson earned that full scholarship to the University of Miami, he was a good player. Unfortunately, he was also an injured player. The team needed to find someone to take his spot on the team while he was recovering from his injuries, so they chose a man by the name of Warren Sapp to take over Johnson’s position. It turns out that this injury might be the very reason Sapp is the amazing football legend he is today, and it might the reason The Rock is the famous actor he is today. It might seem like a horrible thing, but it turned out for the best all around.
Shutterstock
He’s Said Politics Aren’t Out of the Question
The Rock wants to do one thing; he wants to have a positive impact on changing the world. He once made the statement that he might not be ready to go into politics just yet, but he is happy where he is making movies and entertaining his fans. However, he did say he might go into politics one day. In fact, his words were that, “One day, and that day will come, I can impact the world through politics,” in an interview. President Rock? It does have an interesting ring to it.
Shutterstock
He’s Smart
Not only is Dwayne Johnson a good-looking man with plenty of athletic prowess and acting skill, he’s also a smart guy. While it’s not uncommon for many to believe athletes are nothing more than “Dumb Jocks,” The Rock is anything but dumb. This successful actor graduated from college with a Criminology and Physiology degree. That’s not exactly an easy degree to obtain if you’re just trying to float through classes, you know.
Shutterstock
He Sings
The man plays football. He wrestles. He acts. He’s friendly, and people who meet him usually have nothing but kind words to speak of him. You might assume that the man has more than enough going for him already, but it turns out he’s also a great singer and a good guitar player. He once played on Jay Leno’s late night show, and he’s really good. It might not seem fair one man could have so much talent, but some people are just naturally good at everything they put their mind to.
Shutterstock
Being A Nice Guy Made Him Finish Last
When The Rock began his career as a wrestler, he was the nice guy in the ring. It does make sense considering his personality. He’s so charming and seems so open and inviting, but fans did not respond. To help him gain some momentum in the industry, it was suggested to Johnson that he try playing a villainous character in the ring. He was to be mean, rude, crude, and to make everyone hate him. It did just the opposite. Fans fell in love with him, and a star was born.
Shutterstock
He Got Paid Well for a First-Timer
Most people who act for the first time are paid so well, but The Rock managed to earn $5.5 million for his role in “The Scorpion King,” back in 2002. It was his first starring role after a few smaller supporting roles in other films. It was also the highest paying job for any first-time starring actor in any movie. Perhaps the world just knew then he would be a superstar and they wanted to get him to come back for more when they came calling.
Shutterstock
He Pretended to be His Father
There was a time when he was first considering an acting career that The Rock was asked to play a very special role on a very popular sitcom. It’s the same sitcom that made people such as Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis household names. When he was asked to appear on “That 70’s Show,” he was asked to do it by playing his father, who was a famous wrestler during that time. He did it, and it was a great spot.
Shutterstock
He Carries A Noble Title
Dwayne Johnson’s mother is a direct descendant of the Samoan chiefs, and he holds her heritage close to his heart. He has done a lot of work and offered his services to the Samoan people over the years, and it’s earned him an official noble title. In 2004, Malietoa Tanumafili II provided Johnson with the title “Seiuli” which is a noble title in Samoan heritage. He was given this title during a visit to their village as a sign of their respect and appreciation of what he does for them.
Shutterstock
He’s A Music Video Star
The Rock is, once again, a man of many talents. Back in 2001, singer Wyclef Jean asked him to appear in one of his music videos, and he happily obliged. It was during the singer’s most popular time, and who doesn’t grow up dreaming of being in a music video one day. In fact, there was once a time when a television station called MTV actually played music videos all day long. If you want to see Dwayne Johnson in a music video, you can find him in “It Doesn’t Matter,” by Wyclef Jean.
Shutterstock
He Retired Early
When The Rock decided he’d had enough fame and fortune, he retired from wrestling. That was in 2004. However, he decided he’d later go back into the ring and reprise his role as a famous villain, and he did that for a few years back in 2011. That lasted until 2013 when he decided it was time to focus solely on his life as an actor. He’d already cemented his name in the acting community, and he wanted back in. We’re glad he came back.
Shutterstock
He’s Canadian
He’s also American. Dwayne Johnson was born in the United States and has always been a citizen. However, his father was born in Canada. This allowed The Rock to become a dual citizen in 2009 when some complicated laws changed and offered him his own Canadian citizenship due to the fact his father was born in the country. He’s still American, of course, but now he gets to be Canadian as well.
Shutterstock
He’s Been Married
The Rock prefers the long-term relationship if his personal history is any indication. He married his ex-wife, Dany Garcia, in 1997. They were married for 10 years after making the decision to end their marriage on a good note in 2007. They have one daughter together. She was born in 2001. He then began dating Lauren Hashian once his divorce was over, and he’s been with her for over a decade. They have two daughters together.
Shutterstock
He Gives Back
The Rock is not a man who takes charity lightly. He’s highly philanthropic, and he likes to put his money where it counts. He runs the Dwayne Johnson Rock Foundation, and he has since 2006. His charity works with kids who suffer from terminal illness. He provides funding, support, and so much more to help kids who will die because of their illness. It’s something he holds close to his heart, and it’s something he’s personally invested in rather than just associated by name.
Shutterstock
He Makes Large Donations
After he and his wife announced they were going to end their marriage in May 2007, they proved they still get along well by making a big announcement that October. They agreed they wanted to contribute $1 million of their personal funds to the University of Miami in an effort to help them renovate their football facilities. It was noted at that time the donation was the largest ever to the school by a former student.
Shutterstock
He Has a Locker Room in His Name
Because he made such a large donation to the University of Miami to revamp its football facilities, the school decided they would honor Johnson by naming their brand-new locker room after him. Now he gets to live the rest of his life knowing every young man who enters that locker room to play ball for the first time will know that it was built on the success of another young man who once walked the halls of that school with big dreams and goals he was able to achieve.
Comments
Loading…