Dwayne Johnson and The Rock-y road to stardom

Graphic by Sienna Lewis, Staff Photographer

Dodge College of Film and Media Arts just held one of their most high-profile masterclasses ever. Students could be seen camping out in front of the school as early as 8 p.m. the night before to hear insight from none other than Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, one of the world’s highest-grossing actors. 

Preceding the discussion with “Awards Chatter” host Scott Feinberg was a screening of Johnson’s latest film, “The Smashing Machine,” a gritty biographical sports drama about the legendary UFC fighter Mark Kerr and the hardships he faced at the peak of his career. The film received a 15-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival. 

When Johnson walked across the stage after a laudatory introduction, he was met with a similar reverence from the crowd of students. One member of the audience was a sophomore theater performance major, Tehani Kekuawela, who brought a gift for Johnson, which he accepted graciously.

“I will forever be grateful for the moment I was able to place a lei upon his neck and embrace him with unconditional aloha. Gifting someone with a lei is of the utmost respect, and I could think of no other way to express my gratitude for what Mr. Johnson represents in Polynesian society,” said Kekuawela. 

Johnson wore the lei throughout the entire masterclass, and his connection to his culture was evident as he frequently spoke with students in the audience who shared his identity. 

While most college students know Johnson from his early 2000s movies they grew up on, the nickname “The Rock” didn’t come from nowhere. Johnson shared how he first got into the entertainment industry, turning to professional wrestling, like his dad and grandfather, when his dreams of playing in the NFL didn’t pan out.

“I said, ‘I think I'm going to close that chapter of my life’. And then (my dad) said — he was so pissed at that point — he goes, ‘What are you going to do?’ And I said, ‘I think I want to try my hand in the business,’” said Johnson. 

The business was indeed the WWE, where he became a legend and an icon, known for his catchphrases long before he made it to the silver screen.

“I never was interested in being, like, the biggest guy or the loudest guy or the easiest guy or the guy that did all these crazy moves off the top rope, that just wasn't me. But I thought, ‘Oh, but wait, maybe I could be the most entertaining,’” said Johnson. 

Johnson continued: “Then I just started coming up with these insults, and I'm like, what's the kind of shit that I would love to say, or that maybe people would love to say either to their friends, their boss, their coworkers, and things like that.”

After gaining national attention in the ring, Johnson starred in his first film, “The Mummy Returns,” where he had only around ten minutes of screen time. Those limits didn’t stop Johnson from making an impact; he was next cast as the titular “The Scorpion King,” the next movie in the franchise.

After starring in those first films, Johnson said he was bitten by the acting bug, and he knew he wanted to pursue it for the rest of his life.

“I felt like I was born to (act),” Johnson said.

Since his film debut in 2001, Johnson has starred in comedy, action and adventure films, but he had never pushed himself quite as far as he did in “The Smashing Machine.” He said there was a period in his life where he just wanted to make movies that had happy endings, and this film presented a change of pace.

“I was tired of being comfortable,” said Johnson, “There was something, I think, intriguing to me about being uncomfortable and not knowing all the answers and not being capable.”

In the film, Johnson became unrecognizable. He gained 32 pounds and wore hair and makeup that completely changed his signature look and took nearly 4 hours to apply each day. What Johnson didn’t expect was the emotional transformation necessary to become Mark Kerr.

“That rocked me from day one when I got on set and became Mark, because you realized that it's not the wins and the losses with these guys, it's, and this applies to all of us, the pressure,” said Johnson. 

Johnson has just reached another milestone in his career with this performance, but throughout all his career changes that brought him to this point, he listened to his heart and stayed true to himself, advice he also recommended to the crowd.

“My biggest takeaway was, 'the best thing you can be is authentically yourself,’ said Kekuawela. “For me, this means letting my culture be my guide, which is something Mr. Johnson spoke about as well.”