Speaking recently on The Pivot podcast, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson recalled his journey from WWE to Hollywood and the changes he made before establishing himself as one of the biggest stars in the entertainment industry.
Johnson revealed how he was advised early on to distance himself from his WWE gimmick in order to be taken seriously in the film industry.
However, The Great One ultimately chose a different approach despite the advice and successfully legitimized his identity in Hollywood.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On his initial ambitions after leaving wrestling: “When I got out of wrestling, I transitioned into Hollywood, and I wanted to have a career that hopefully had some longevity to it. And I wanted to be good.”
On how he felt taking advice from those around him: “All this shit that at that time, if you don’t know any better and you’re trying to stay focused on the North Star, you buy into it because you’re trusting the people who are around you.”
On arriving at the decision to maintain his identity: “I bought into it a little bit for a few years. Until finally I said, ‘I can’t do this anymore. I gotta be me. I love wrestling, it’s my life. If I wanna call myself The Rock, I’m gonna call myself the motherfucking Rock …’ Fired everybody, hired a brand new team … And at least if I fail, then I fail being myself.”
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