Popularly known as The Rock, Dwayne Johnson (pictured) is the most successful wrestler-turned-actor there is. He is to this era what Arnold Schwarzenegger was to the ’90s: a big guy with an impressive physique, scooping up many movie and TV roles.
Watching the final instalment of the Fast & Furious franchise, if we are to be honest, we will agree that his role in the movie was really not necessary. The ultimate muscle of those movies will always be Vin Diesel. Yet The Rock managed to not only be part of that line-up, but of the previous film as well.
If action is not your thing, you might like the dramatic stories that Tyler Perry likes to tell. Usually they are social commentaries that look at what is wrong with our relationships on various levels. Why Did I Get Married? did well for the Madea series creator. In the second film we saw one of the relationships, portrayed by Janet Jackson and Malik Yoba, break down to a point where there was an accidental death. It was a risk to take because a major character was written off. To soothe the believers of this project, Perry then roped in Johnson for a cameo right at the end as a potential hunk. So you know he is going to be in the next Why Did I Get Married? film.
The last thing a guy like this is is funny, but directors can’t seem to get enough of him. So we saw him in The Tooth Fairy donning Spandex and large wings on a mission to collect kids’ teeth from under their pillows to leave dollars behind. That’s a long way from Fast & Furious, but the film did so well they even released a sequel.
If you are an animated movie fan you might have seen Planet 51, one of the coolest films to come out after The Incredibles and Finding Nemo. No points for guessing who voiced the lead character.
With Johnson coming to our screens on Wake Up Call (e.tv this month) and Ballers (Vuzu Amp next month), we can’t help but concede that the man is on fire and not slowing down. In Wake Up Call he goes around the US speaking to youngsters about making informed life choices. Obviously drawing on the fact that he had to make important decisions while growing up, now that he has made them, he is sharing these important things with young people.
On a lighter note, in Ballers we meet The Rock as Spencer Strasmore, a retired athlete. This show channels off his past as a sportsman, but it has light moments too.
His success is reminiscent of that time when Arnie did everything from Terminator to Kindergarten Cop. Johnson has mirrored that success and done more. Like Schwarzenegger, Johnson comes from a sports background. He played American football professionally before becoming a pro wrestler like his father and grandfather. Thanks to WWE Movies, he was a candidate for a number of films and with the success of The Scorpion King, the man was spoilt for choice. Every now and then he might go back to the WWE ring to show face, but it is obvious that TV and film have taken over his life.
While we await his next film, San Andreas, we can’t ignore that he was recently honoured at the TCL Chinese Theater’s latest hand ceremony, joining Hollywood’s royality on the list of achievers.
He has by far outdone other wrestlers who ventured into TV and film including Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy), Hulk Hogan (Thunder In Paradise) and Steve Austin (The Expendables).