By Jenni McKnight
Copyright hellomagazine
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is one of the biggest stars in Hollywood and can command over $20 million a movie. Along with his other business ventures, he has made a fortune and is worth a whopping $800 million. However, long before he found fame and fortune, the former pro wrestler learned the meaning of money at a young age after he and his mother, Ata, found themselves staring at an eviction notice while living in an apartment in Hawaii, an experience that left an “indelible mark” on him.
Discussing his new film, The Smashing Machine, based on the story of MMA fighter Mark Kerr, alongside his co-star Emily Blunt, Dwayne recalled the traumatic incident when quizzed by Extra’s Derek Hough on what he would say to the little boy growing up in Hawaii after the film got a 15-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival, and Dwayne’s performance has created Oscar buzz.
Trying not to get emotional, he said: “I would say, ‘It’s gonna be alright. It’s gonna be okay.'” Remembering the eviction, Dwayne continued: “We came home to our little, we had an efficiency apartment. There was a notice there that says you’re, you gotta – the eviction notice. You have five days to get out. If not, the cops are gonna come escort you out.
“My mom was just there crying, and so that left an indelible mark, and I stuffed it deep down in here… So, to go from that to the career that I’ve been lucky enough to have, blessed with people like Emily, who I have this love, incredible support, and bond and friendship… To go from that to today… like, that other kind of conversation, is…”
Dwayne also spoke about his “emotional” reaction to the film’s reception at the Venice Film Festival. “I think of what the moment represented for all of us. We went into this and making this film for ourselves and to discover things about ourselves and without an attachment to an outcome, a reception, a reaction, you’d never know,” he said.
Dwayne remembered that the audience “erupted” even before the credits rolled. “That’s why when the lights came on, we were already emotional,” he admitted. “I was already emotional because I was sitting next to Mark [Kerr]… and I felt his body shaking.”
The Smashing Machine is worlds away from anything Dwayne has done in the past, and he admitted during an interview with BBC News that he was apprehensive to tackle such an “intense” role until now. “I’ve been scared to go deep and intense and raw until now, until I had this opportunity to do [this film],” he said.
“When you’re in Hollywood, as we all know, it had become about box office, and you chase the box office. And the box office in our business is very loud, it can be very [overwhelming]. Sometimes it’s hard to know what you’re capable of when you’ve been pigeon-holed into something. But I think what I did realize is I just had this burning desire, this voice that was just saying, ‘What if there’s more, what if I can?'”
