Dwayne Johnson was nervous about launching acting career

26 March 2020

Dwayne Johnson was nervous about transition from wrestling to acting because he wanted to become an established Hollywood star.

Dwayne Johnson

'The Rock' made his big screen debut in 2002's 'The Scorpion King' - which is a prequel to Universal's 'The Mummy' franchise which starred Brendan Fraser - and although his performance was very well received he was concerned that his foray into acting would be a short-lived affair like many other wrestlers, such as Hulk Hogan and 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper, and he didn't want that to happen.

Instead, Johnson - who is now one of the most bankable box office stars in cinema - was determine to make acting his new full-time career.

Speaking in an Instagram video, Dwayne said: "Even though I wrestled for 20-50,000 people, I wanted it to feel intimate and the connection to feel real.

"So, I found my power space in professional wrestling and when I had a goal to transition into acting, I knew then as I was transitioning when I was 29 making 'The Scorpion King', I knew then that in order for me to be a good actor and to have a career that had real longevity, and not just in it for 2-3 years, become this new hot actor, make a couple of action movies, maybe a comedy or two and then disappear, I didn't want that."

Although he had become one of the most successful wrestlers in WWE, the 47-year-old action man knew that his prior life in sports entertainment would count for very little in Hollywood.

The 'Rampage' star added: "I wanted to have a real, long-lasting career that had weight and had value. And I wanted to become a real box office presence. I wanted to have a real box office cache. And I wanted to be the #1 man in the world of Hollywood in terms of box office draw.

"That was my goal at 29 years old and I was prepared to work my ass off but I also knew, I gave myself a 10-12 year plan, but life is so unpredictable.

"I was really nervous because I also knew historically it didn't matter. Whoever was successful in another arena, just because you were a successful professional wrestler did not mean, in any uncertain terms, that you were gonna become a box office star or a legitimate movie star. There were no guarantees."