Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson - 'The Smashing Machine' [LIVE]

29:40I started singing Elvis, but turned like Heartbreak Hotel into Smackdown. I was like, well, since Rock's baby left him, and I'd sing in front of the audience. It's just sing to the opponents. So we would do a lot of crazy things like that. Now, obviously, as we've said, it clearly resonated with a lot of people. You became the kind of fan favorite. March 2000, though, this is a kind of easily overlooked milestone, milestone but I think it might be the very beginning of your whole acting journey is you because you were so popular on WWF stuff you are invited to host Saturday Night Live which I don't think there was much of a precedent for professional wrestler not long after that you you know there started to be other I guess you could say you know small bit parts I forget which sitcom you popped up in briefly, but before we talk about films, before we talk about the move into films, I wondered, was the idea of kind of using your popularity in wrestling to get into acting, was that, or to maybe use acting to further, you know, see where that things could go, was this something that was strategic?

30:54Is it McMahon saying like, hey, this would be great, it can only help everyone if you broaden your audience this way, or is it you with some sort of a plan even at the beginning then like how did this get going that you're stepping out something that now a lot of people have done but back then it was not common or easy to move from professional wrestling into showbiz of the others no it wasn't scott and you know it was it was actually harder back then because i think wrestling was looked at in a certain way and i got it and i understood you know it wasn't it wasn't revered in a way like well what a performance you put on at wrestlemania it was like oh that's that wrestling thing it's kind of like that and i and i got it i understood saturday night live i got a call from lauren michaels who said hey i'd love for you to host which i was like i would love to host and i remember talking to lauren and and i said i have one request that i would ask that you consider you know because you know you gotta know your audience and it's lauren michaels you don't want to go in and say hey here's my you know demands so i said i'd love for you to consider this he said what's that i said i'd love to do no wrestling skits at all because i feel like that's kind of like low-hanging fruit like i want to do everything else but that and he goes okay what a great challenge so i did that i hosted the show show went great and then um i remember at that time i was hoping to just do more and I wanted to expand this idea of what it was what was like to perform at that time and to entertain and I thought oh I would love to act like at that time I had done a bit part in Star Trek and a few other things oh I loved it it was so good with Jerry Ryan and yeah there she is hi Jerry and I did a few other things and I was just waiting for that opportunity and then you're right because after Saturday Night Live I got a call from a director and his name was Stephen Summers and Stephen Summers was the at that time the director of one of the biggest franchises in the world the mummy franchise with Brendan Fraser yeah it was awesome and I got that call and he goes hey I have this role for you it's called the Scorpion King can you come in and can we meet about it and I went we can and I met with Stephen and we had a great meeting and they he and they they Universal offered me the part and I and I remember thinking at that time and we could talk about this a little later in the interview is that you know Brendan Fraser at that time was one of the biggest stars in the world and he was just this movie star who had this throwback look to him and he was the man and I remember thinking god I is he okay with this because this is his franchise and I remember pulling Stephen aside Stephen Summers and I said hey is Brandon okay can I call him can I and he was like not only is okay but he wants you to be in this so bad and it was so awesome and I'll never forget that because in a way it's like again you know how you You have these moments in life.

34:08It's like you get a call from Lorne Michaels at SNL. And then Brendan Fraser says, I want you to be in this franchise. Because he could have at that time, because he had the juice. I go, I don't know. Let's get somebody else. I don't know if I want The Rock in this, who's never acted before, other than what he's done in the ring. So in a way, he was so defining. And I'll never forget that. and to this day we're great friends and I really appreciate it. I'll say that at the Toronto International Film Festival where you had the North American premiere of Smashing Machine, you guys, because it was a late screening, you did a kind of party before the movie and I look over and I see Brendan Fraser coming over to tell you.

34:54I don't know, I think he might have already seen it or something, but just that this was a pretty, almost 25 years later, you know, kind of celebrating that you've, look where it's all gone. he he we we had a uh a pre-screening of smashing machine at the toronto film festival and that was the night before and he came to this uh dinner party just to see me and say hello and give me a big hug and um tell me can't wait to see the movie and he was just he was i won't share what he said but it was just it meant so much to me because you you know again you kind of don't know what you don't know and you you uh give your all to a performance and he hadn't seen it yet but he heard and he was just like look whatever i'm gonna see tomorrow i'm gonna find you and we're gonna talk about it and he did he found me the next day uh but he was really saying beautiful things at night so that's great and so we should just say what you in the in the mummy returns which is that first one that you were you're talking about where he says you know okay come do it that's 2001 you're in it for only about seven minutes I think it was basically like a cameo but with test audiences from what I understand just your appearance was so well received that before the film was even released they approach you the studio approaches you about having your own spinoff, which is what became the next year, the movie, The Scorpion King, where you're the lead, the highest paid first time lead of a movie ever, because again, people saw there's something here.

36:37I guess I wonder for you, what do you just remember of how this unfolded, where that's almost, it's hard to imagine a faster turnaround of becoming a movie star than cameo, something clicks and then from then on you're you know the audience is there for you it was crazy i my goal at that time was i just wanted to grow and i remember being in wrestling and looking into the the wwe locker room at that time and looking at all these guys that i'd wrestled from stone cold steve austin to kurt angle to triple h to brock lesnar and all these guys and i remember thinking what's next like i want what what does more mean what does this idea of more mean I go shoot The Mummy Returns in Morocco and we're in the middle of the Sahara Desert.

37:24And again, I have this idea in my mind like, what's next? And I want more. I'm getting restless, right? But again, I don't know the moves to make because at that time I didn't have an agent. I didn't have, I was flying by the seat of my pants. Just starting to work with acting coaches, right? Starting to work with acting coaches, right? Larry Moss, Howard Fine, and love those guys. Aaron Spizer worked with so many guys. I remember being in the middle of the Sahara Desert shooting. You guys particularly will appreciate this. First of all, I'm sick and I ate something bad over there. I have a hundred something fever and it's 115 degrees in the Sahara Desert.

38:04I have a blanket over me. I'm freezing. Stephen Summers, before he yelled action, he goes, hey, are you okay? I'm like, yeah, I'm going to be fine. You know that ego answer. I'm good. I'm like, fuck, I'm going to die here. Like, I think this is it. This is how I go out. All right, you got to make it good. And then the first action scene as a Scorpion King in Mummy Returns, he calls action. Action, and it's an action scene. Stuntmen are flying everywhere. It's in the beginning of the movie. He yells cut. And I know it sounds weird to some, but not to you. When he yelled cut, that idea, we hear that, oh, the acting bug.

38:44and getting bit by an acting bug, a directing bug, a writing bug, whatever that is, I got bit by it. And I knew in that moment, this is what I want to do. This I felt like I was born to do. And it wasn't really much longer before you phased out of wrestling for a while and phased into movie. I mean, let's just note in the, so again, Mummy Returns 2001, Scorpion King 2002, your first time as a lead. then we've got a whole variety of stuff there's 2003 the rundown 2004 lawman and walking tall 2005 a gay bodyguard in get shorty sequel be cool uh which by the way true or false did elmore leonard say that he wrote the part in the book thinking of you but never you weren't even an actor he was just he did and there's this this guy who felt like hey i think i got talent by raising an eyebrow.

39:40He did. So there's that. Southland Tales, 2006, excellent. But you've also talked about how once you get towards, I think, a period I've heard alternately, like somewhere around between 2008 and 2010, you were getting a bit frustrated because some of these movies are doing very well. I think in 2006, first time you're credited as Dwayne Johnson as opposed to The Rock in a movie, Gridiron Gang. There's a Disney movie in there, The Game Plan.

40:17There's Race. We're hitting the right time period demographically. Race to Witch Mountain, The Tooth Fairy. Thank you. Now, these guys love it because they grew up on it. Grew up on it, yeah, that's so cool. But in that moment... I have a different experience tell me because I've heard it kind of there's these frustrations that are bubbling up and ultimately kind of culminate in a meeting with your agents at the time thank you for the love I really love that and I get that those three movies in particular those family films Game Plan, Race to Witch Mountain Tooth Fairy even yeah

41:05But you know, that was three in a row of starting out my career as an action star. And then I did a couple of years where it was just back to back to back. But the truth is, I feel like that, and I could look back on that time with real clarity these days. Those days things were a little cloudy. but love making those movies but I also think I manifested those because I don't think I was ready for anything else and that's the truth other than easy light family films that made me feel good and that ended happily with a happy ending because at that time I just had my first baby girl and And, yeah, and I was kind of growing up with her.

41:56Yeah, her name is Simone, and she's older now. I have 24, 9, and 7. So I'm a proud girl dad. I know. I'm everywhere. But, you know, at that time, I was also going through separation and a divorce. And I didn't know what kind of, you know, when you guys get married, as a few of you may know, you, you know, you sign up for the long haul. But then it doesn't always work out like that. And then it kind of rocks you like it rocked me. And we had a baby. And what kind of father was I going to be? Anyway, so I feel like at that time I was really going through it. And I was going through like, you know, I talked about depression.

42:35That was another bout of depression. I was trying to figure my stuff out. And that was the only thing that I really wanted to do artistically was just I don't want anything that is going to challenge me to rip my guts out. or I just want the stuff that has a happy ending. And so that's what that was. There was a time period there where not only did I want that, but also I also felt like, hey, the people around me, I remember challenging them and saying, hey, I may be in this funk right now and I'm going to work hard to work out of it, try my best. But also I need some guidance here in terms of my management, in terms of the people who were around me at that time.

43:20And I remember having a meeting with my agency at that time, and I said, hey, I know I'm in a different spot, but I'm looking at the biggest stars in the world, George Clooney, Will Smith, Johnny Depp at that time. Yeah, it's like Pirates of the Caribbean had just come out. You know, Will Smith was doing what he was doing. And I said, I think I want to have a career like that, but maybe different. But I don't know what different means, but I do know I want that. I was like, all right, what do you guys think? And it was like crickets in the room. I was like, okay, say no more. And then I remember at that time thinking, well, maybe it's time for a change.

44:02And, you know, as we know, like life is change. Life is constant change. I feel like the universe meets you halfway when you really make a decision. And so I made a decision at that time that I was going to make a big change. and I kind of just collapsed the infrastructure around me to build something new back up. Which I guess you could say in a way started with Fast Five 2011, which then there's Fast and Furious 6 2013, Furious 7 2015, The Fate of the Furious 2017, Fast and Furious Presents Hobbs and Shaw 2019. But I mean, just to give some context, Fast Five, the first one that you appear in made almost twice as much as the prior installment and really kind of I think helped to underscore maybe as you're talking about kind of starting a new chapter that the family comedy friendly comedies and stuff like you could you could elevate a lot of different kinds of movies and and those obviously you did for a number of years in the midst of which were also just an unbelievable number of movies that were giant hits and I we don't have time to talk about all of them but I'm just gonna quickly list off a few in 2013 both G.I.

45:21Joe retaliation and pain and gain 2014 Hercules which felt like kind of the the I mean the closest parallel to you in a way decades earlier was probably Steve Reeves the guy who had played Hercules who had been the original right and a bodybuilder who had become an actor and not as nearly as successfully as you but he played Hercules um San Andreas 2015 then you get into TV as well in that period as Ballers on HBO which uh you produced and starred in I know kind of came out of the pain and gain relationship with Wahlberg right but I also want to talk about there's there's a number of collaborations that you've done with somebody who you guys are the everybody's favorite odd couple and that is you and kevin hart we got central intelligence 2016 we've got uh jumanji welcome to the jungle 2017 and jumanji the next level 2019 uh and by the way it's like you know the body swapping and stuff It could easily be overlooked that there's some acting challenges in there as well.

46:40It's not just a phone it in thing. I think sometimes when you make it look easy, people think it's easy. I think that's kind of the thing about comedy sometimes, you know, just in our world. And it's just, I think when you make people laugh and feel good, there's a lightness to it. And understandably so. So thank you for all the Jumanji love. I'm happy to announce to you guys here at Chapman that in less than three weeks, we're starting Jumanji 3.

47:18It's very cool. That's awesome. That's awesome. There will be no Kevin Hart. Yeah, he's just greedy. He wants too much money, but it's okay. No, I'm only kidding. I'm only kidding. We can't wait. It's going to be awesome. And Jake Kasdan is back, and he's going to direct. Oh, and very cool is that for the first time in all our Jumanji installments, we're bringing it back home. So we're shooting in L.A., which is great. Talking about bringing it back home, we, of course, on the road here to almost arriving at your current moment, we cannot gloss over a thing that really, I know, connects you back to your family culture and your grandfather and singing and that is moana and the first one in 2016 the second in 2024 and forthcoming next year a live action just uh that is a that is a role that i know is very uh near and dear to you if you want to maybe Yeah, so we, you know, Moana is, Moana playing Maui has been the, it's been the gift.

48:35It's really been the gift of a lifetime. And what I mean by that is, is this has been, I think growing up as a Samoan, half Samoan and half black, it's just, you know, Samoan culture, Polynesian culture, we're proud people and proud of our culture. And what Moana has represented is really this really awesome global embrace of Polynesian culture. And our values and our qualities and our pride and our mana is what I always like to say. And we just, today's Tuesday, just this past Friday around 8 p.m., we officially wrapped the live action version of Moana. So we can't wait this summer, this upcoming summer, you guys will see live action Moana.

49:28That's right. Pretty cool.

49:32By the way, we just, by the way, we just wrapped, like, I spent an entire week shooting You're Welcome, where all the singing and the choreography is crazy. No, no, no, no, you're not ready for that. No, you're not ready. Honestly, listen, kid, I could go on and on. And I could explain every match of a phenomenon. The tide, the grass, the ground. Oh, that was Maui just messing around. I could have kneel. I buried its guts. Sprout out of the tree. Now you got coconuts. What's the lesson? What is the takeaway? Don't know some Maui when he's on a breakaway. And the tapestry here on my skin is the map of the pictures I win.

50:04Look where I've been. I make everything happen. Look at that mean in me Maui. Just tickety-tap and tickin' this up. What can I say except you're welcome? Okay.

50:19That was a lot of fun. That's awesome. A lot of fun. The hits keep coming. Rampage and Skyscraper in 2018. Jungle Cruise in 2021, which is the beginning of your collaboration and friendship with Emily Blunt, which connects to Smashing Machine. Yes. Red Notice, also in 2021. The most watched film ever on Netflix until this frickin' K-pop Demon Hunters came along.

50:52Young Rocks. Which I attributed to in our house. We're big K-pop Demon fans. There you go, exactly. We're my girls. Also in 2021, I mean, there's been not a lot of time for relaxation here, apparently, because also in 2021, it's the beginning of Young Rock on NBC. You're sort of looking at three periods of your youth. And then something that I know you've been thinking about for many, many years and kind of an interesting choice for venturing into the superhero world, and that was Black Adam.

51:25Dwayne Johnson:Thank you. And I think just to kind of have a full circle thing here, your time as a heel in the ring, was that of any value in playing Black Adam? Oh, absolutely. And I feel like not only my time as a heel in the ring and wrestling, but it was almost like the anti-hero that eventually The Rock became. You know, I loved making Black Adam. We had a great time. And I loved creating those characters and introducing those other characters too as well in that universe. And had a great time. Wish that universe well. And... And on to others. And on to others. Yeah. All right. So we now come to really what is a major milestone in a major career, and that is the Smashing Machine, which the audience here has just seen.

52:23You've said that a few years ago, you essentially began asking yourself, am I actually doing what I want or am I just doing what the people around me want? Emily Blunt, who again knows you since at least Jungle Cruise about five years ago, has said, quote, I think he'd been feeling a fatigue at being the person that everyone expects him to be, close, quote. So just if that can maybe set the scene for the context in which you decided to pursue a film about someone who had actually been on your radar for a very long time. you know how you hear that voice sometimes and then some that it's like the voice behind your rib cage and sometimes it it kind of speaks softly to us and kind of like knocks and like hey you know listen to me i i think there's more pushing you to do that thing that you want to do whatever that thing is um sometimes it's quiet sometimes it's soft sometimes it's resounding and sometimes it's loud and like beating you like hey come on i had that voice and uh i had that voice for some time like in 2018 2019 i just felt like to be honest with you i felt um like i was tired of being comfortable and i wanted and there was there's something i think um intriguing to me about being uncomfortable and not knowing all the answers and not being capable and not and then you know I played these roles before which I loved by the way and I love the big movies are fun and they make a lot of people happy including myself and my family and it's great and a lot of families around the world but I also feel like there was just more and I felt like there was more to challenge myself and I and I wasn't getting the challenge and I was ready to chase the challenge and not chase the box office and I didn't quite know what the move was because there's no blueprint like that for me.

54:25And I was like, man, how do I do this? And in 2019, I got a hold of this documentary that I watched, The Smashing Machine, and I really loved it. I felt like it was a compelling story, and I felt like, hey, I know this guy. I knew Mark. Literally knew Mark. I did. I literally knew Mark Kerr. I met him in the late 90s when he was ascending, and everybody knew Mark Kerr in the combat world and in the pro wrestling world. And then I saw the documentary. I just watched Uncut Gems. right yes with Benny and Josh and I remember presenting this and um and eventually they were going through their thing where they were going hey I'm gonna we're gonna be independent now we're gonna do our own thing and then I happened to connect with Benny on this and he really connected with the material and um I got to know Benny very well and we decided that we were going to make the smashing machine and then COVID hit and then it shut everything down but that's okay because it all happens when it when it's meant to happen right so i felt like in 2023 we kind of got back going again and um uh yeah and then when we finally got together i met with benny and benny said hey i think there's something really interesting here that we could make and i committed to benny and i said listen i i can tell you now i don't know what the film is going to do.

55:50I don't know if it has broad appeal, no appeal, global appeal, whatever. I just know that I feel like I need to do this for me. And you and I are getting to know each other very well. And, um, and let's make something I think special. And, and you also realize, so really quickly in 2019, we're going to do the movie COVID hits. It goes away. Benny goes away. I go away. He has commitments. I have commitments. Emily becomes one of my best friends. We work together on Jungle Cruise. And then she calls me one night and she goes, Hey, I was just, she's shooting Oppenheimer and a little movie called Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan.

56:34And, um, she said, Hey, I'm with Benny Safdie. I was just with him this afternoon. He was asking me about you. Are you, did you guys have something together? I said, we did. We had something They call it the Smashing Machine. And she goes, did you ever get the sweater? I went, what sweater? So you guys saw the movie. In the movie, Mark Kerr is wearing a yellow Nautica sweater, right, towards the end when he's in Japan. Benny, unbeknownst to me, finds the sweater online, sends it to me with a handwritten letter in the beginning of 2020 and said, I don't know if I'm going to ever be a part of this, but I believe in it so much and I believe in you so much.

57:18And I want you to have this sweater because I believe it will help you become Mark Kerr. Wow, I never got it. I never got the sweater. I never got the letter. And he thought I ghosted him. And so I thought he ghosted me. And she goes, did you ever? And I said, no, I never got it. So she connected us via text. but to Emily's point she said hey can I see this documentary I said yeah so I sent her a documentary that night she watches it that night 2 in the morning she gives me a call she's got to get up at like 5 to do Oppenheimer at 2 in the morning she calls they're shooting in I think New Mexico she said oh yeah that's Nolan's son she said Emily said I just watched this documentary you have to make this movie you have to make it with Benny Safter.

58:10You were born to play this role. That's amazing. That's great. It's very cool. And, I mean, it is, while people, I think, not everyone may understand that there are major differences between, you know, MMA and WWF and WWE and UFC and all these things. Like, just because you're a tough guy who fights in one way or another doesn't mean these are interchangeable. So I don't think, but people should know that you, at one point considered going into MMA that you basically probably understand the lingering effects of injuries as well as anybody could have like the kinds of things that drove Mark to do some some regrettable things so anyway I guess just the the transformation here into this guy i want to just tee up that the makeup artist on this is like the greatest living makeup he made gary oldman into winston churchill for darkest hour and charlie sarin into megan kelly for bombshell won oscars for both of those so you're working with him on the makeup and the prosthetics you're also having to figure out this guy walks differently from you he talks differently from you, fights differently.

59:27So I guess if you can just talk about the work and the work that you did and the work that was done on you before you step in front of the cameras to play this game. Sure, I'm happy to because it was an honor to transform into Mark Kerr and to disappear and become Mark Kerr. The transformation, to run down some details for you guys, I had to gain just over 30 pounds about, because I'm a nerd that way, 32 pounds we gained. and but Mark Kerr had as you guys saw in the movie is that you realize very quickly that he had a different quality of muscle I think because he was a wrestler and when you're a wrestler you have a non-stop motor your cardio is through the roof and there's there's just there's a lot of fast twitch muscle fiber that you had to put on over the course of six months Benny said something funny to me which I'd never heard before and he actually called it out he goes you know I I don't know if you've ever heard this or if anyone's ever told you this, but you're going to have to get bigger.

1:00:27I went, okay. And so in what way? He goes, I think puffier maybe. And I said, let me think about it and I'll get back to you. But you realize that Mark Kerr had a different quality of muscle. So I had to put on 30 pounds of muscle. And I also still had to move because I had to be an MMA fighter. So I had a 12 week training camp with. I just want to, I'm sorry to interrupt. People should know. He also told you he's not going to cut away from you fighting. Right. So there's no stunt doubles, there's no whatever for you. No, Benny, and thank you for bringing this up because I love this part because I love talking about Benny and his process and his signature style.

1:01:09Is that he said, hey, I'd love to not cut away from you in these fight scenes. And I know what that means. That means I'm going to get my ass kicked and get my ass just rocked. and I said I would love that too he said are you committed I said I am committed get my jaw right and that's what we did and when you see the film there are no cutaways and I felt like it was my accountability and my duty not only as an actor but also someone who's embodying a real person who lived who's still alive who paid the price and fought his demons and continues to fight his demons today and the transformation was a little over 30 pounds and a voice transformation as well.

1:01:57Mark, as you guys know, speaks very softly and he's very tender with how he needs to has a just this childlike curiosity about him all the time. The thing that I didn't anticipate until I felt it, until I was in the moment, was the emotional transformation because you realize that, man, when you brought up Scott that I did consider a career in MMA it was very early in my wrestling career in the 90s when they were chanting Rocky sucks I was like maybe this is not the right career path for me I did consider thank God I didn't do that because I don't like being punched in the face and that really hurts but but and if I had done that it would have been to chase the dollar because I just wanted to make money I didn't want to be broke but what I did realize over time is the most eye-opening thing is that when these men and women especially back then where there was no holds barred as you guys saw and like no rules and no financial planning and nothing when they lose they just have themselves that's it and they struggled a lot of those guys struggled back then and mark struggled back then so the emotional transformation was something that I didn't anticipate that rocked me from day one when I got on set and I became Mark because you realize that...

1:03:19It's not the wins and the losses with these guys. And this applies to all of us. It's the pressure. It's like the pressure to perform, the pressure to win, the pressure to provide for your family, the pressure to go to class, the pressure to be a good son, good daughter, whatever. It's just the pressure. And some people do good with pressure, and then some people struggle. And Mark struggled. I've got one more about the Smashing Machine, then a rapid fire, and then we're going to turn it over to the students with some questions. You guys ready for the Q &As? So they're going to start stretching, get ready, but here we go.

1:04:04So the last thing specifically about Smashing Machine, what was it like for you? You've had just about every kind of success in this industry that an actor can hope to have. but this was a different thing for you than anything you'd ever really done before and so for you to see the movie I don't know if the first time was at the Venice Film Festival but certainly one of them and you understandably when people applaud something you've done for 15 minutes you seem very moved by it what I'm sure you're still I know you're still in it with promoting it and talking about it and all of that but like if you can step back for a second and just contextualize what it means for you to have pursued to have achieved the things that you did with this movie um is this like a new um was it was it fulfilling enough that you want to do more of this moving forward so anyway it's a big question but just whatever uh comes to mind no it's it's it's an important question i think it's a beautiful question and it's a powerful question because I didn't know it until I did it, but Smashing Machine completely changed my life.

1:05:21Completely changed my life in ways that I didn't anticipate it changing because of what it represents. It represents, for me, it just represented listening to your gut, listening to your instinct, listening to that little voice. And, you know, sometimes in life you don't, you know sometimes in life you think you're capable of something but you don't quite know and then sometimes it takes people around you to go no you could do this come on yeah you could do this like you think i can i i think i feel like i can so smash machine represents that and smash machine also represents a turning point in my career that i've just wanted for a long time and And that turning point was the challenge, the test, the...

1:06:11So I'll share this with you. And I don't think we've talked about this, Scott, but for the first time in my career, in 20 plus years, since The Scorpion King came out, for the first time, I made a film and I made it for me to challenge myself and to really rip myself open and go elsewhere and disappear and transform. And not one time had I thought about box office. Not one time had I thought, because, you know, in our world, you're like, shit, what's this? Oh, how are we going to look? You know, and then a Friday night comes, you're like, oh, man, you wake up Saturday. Sometimes you wake up feeling good.

1:06:54Sometimes you're like, oh, my God, you know, didn't do well. I had not thought about that at all. And even that Friday night when we opened, I went to sleep peacefully and woke up peacefully because it just, it represented this thing. Like, and even though we didn't do well as well as we wanted to, but it was okay because it just represented the thing I did for me. And the thing I did for me is the thing now I realize, oh, one thing is, so maybe it was because I was an only child, but all the stuff that I had experienced as a kid, as a teenager, eviction. My mom tried to take her life. Two months after we got evicted, I pulled her out of the middle of the highway.

1:07:41That whole bunch of stuff happened. Shit always happens when you're 15. I feel like. But I didn't... I rejected exploring any of that on film. So for years, I would do these other films that were big and they were fun and Jumanji and Moana and Happy Ending. And I love that still. But what this represented was, oh wait, I can do the thing I love, which is tell stories. But I could take all this stuff and I have a place to put it. And that's what you saw tonight, is I have a place to put it. And so you asked if I'm going to run towards this. I have, we have a project with Scorsese, a project with Aronofsky.

1:08:26It's like, yes, I'm going to run, put all my shit, and then continue to challenge myself. So anyway, with Smashing Machine, as you see, yes, it was an opportunity of a lifetime that did change my life, but there's so many reasons why it did. That's great. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you.

1:08:52Okay, so our quick rapid fire, just the first thought that comes to mind about a variety of things. What's the acting role that got away? Is there one that you wanted that didn't happen? Well, it's one that I love that it didn't happen only because it was never offered to me and it was well before my time, but it's a wonderful life. Which there's a connection to the Smashing Machine. There is a connection to this, yes. So it's all kismet and connected. And Benny and I, it's one of his favorite movies. It's one of my favorite. It is my favorite movie. So what's interesting about It's a Wonderful Life, which the connection to Smashing Machine is, if you know It's a Wonderful Life, and if you haven't seen it, I really recommend you guys see it, is from the beginning of that film to the end of that film in It's a Wonderful Life, nothing changes.

1:09:44Nothing changes. Except his perspective on life. and it's just like in the smashing machines where at the end he's got nothing nothing except his perspective on life when he takes a shower and he lets it all wash away so that's the one that got away as a wrestler what was your best moment in the ring and your worst moment in the ring my my best moment in the ring would probably uh it was a smaller show on televised went back to Hawaii and we I had a match in Hawaii and just what Hawaii always meant a struggle for us because we're evicted out of Hawaii so the idea that I was able to go back and wrestle as the rock that was really cool that was very special to me.

1:10:31Worst moment was um worst moment was I thought oh I got an idea I'm gonna remove my elbow pad and I'm gonna do this thing where I run across the ring at the ropes and jump over my opponent and drop an elbow on him and then I'm gonna say to him hey but let me beat you with this move and he's like what the fuck are you talking about I was like yeah and then I'm gonna call it the people's elbow what was the worst time in my career at that time turned into like the most electrifying move ever that's right that's right that's right what's your training schedule and what's your favorite and least favorite thing to do in the gym well my my training schedule is um uh usually i wake up in the morning i like to wake up before my babies get up uh we'll do a little bit of cardio and then i'll go work out a little bit later uh and what was the other one uh favorite and least favorite thing to do in the gym well my favorite thing to do in the gym is legs yeah yeah this is not a group that skips leg day No, no.

1:11:37Don't skip leg day. Yes. That's my favorite thing. And then least favorite thing is leg day because this shit hurts, right? You know. Favorite cheat food. Favorite cheat food? Oh, my God. Well, one is tequila in here. The other one is, oh, my God, the legendary cheat foods. I love cheat days. It is French toast, yes. It's French toast. I love French toast. And I'm also one of those weird guys. I put peanut butter on a lot of things with syrup. So I would say that. I would say the French toast. Okay, I want to show you a photograph and ask you what was going on in your mind.

1:12:20Here we are. If we look all the way to the right, this is the moment after the wrong winner was announced for the Best Picture Oscar in 2017. They say La La Land, but it turns out to be Moonlight. I know. Look, my face is... I'm thinking there's some shit going down that I need to stand up any second. And I need to protect Meryl Streep because she's right there. And I'm going to do that. Ben Affleck is looking over there to the right. He's looking at Matt Damon. And there's Sting in the background. You can see him there. But it was a wild moment. Crazy, right? It was crazy. Would you ever host or perhaps with Kevin Hart or Emily Blunt or someone else co-host the Oscars?

1:13:13Oh, that would be fun. You would be open to it? Yeah, that would be cool. That would be amazing. Yeah. I want to show you a screen grab of a tweet that you posted on May 2nd, 2011. Oh my God, this is not good. Before anyone else in the world had reported the news that Osama bin Laden had been killed. How did you know?

1:13:42You know, I just... You just had a feeling. Yeah. I got a friend of a friend who...

1:13:55They gave me a call. There's a whole thing behind that. I think it's great. Yeah. I want to know what's happening next now. Here's the thing, I got a call. And the call was like, hey, this thing happened. I said, okay, wonderful news. And I was told on the call, the president at that time, he's gonna make his speech in 20 minutes or whatever it was, I said, okay, great. So 20 minutes goes by, and about the 25th minute I tweet this. Then I get a second call. And the call is, yeah, the president didn't go on yet. And I went, oh, shit. Well, you know, it kind of relates to the next question. No. In 2022, both major political parties apparently reached out to gauge your interest in running for president.

1:15:03you obviously did not choose to uh get involved for 2024 and thanks a lot now here we are

1:15:12uh is there any chance i mean on young rock i believe you run in 2032 is there any chance that uh you might entertain the possibility of running for president at another time in the future brother you've asked a lot of great questions tonight let's ask another one okay all right all right last one uh thank you if you got one do-over life career whatever what would you what would you like to be i if i could have one do-over i wish i at the time i was going through my thing in my um in my early 30s my first daughter was maybe two three years old four years old maybe around that time i the do-over is i wish i had the capacity and the tools as as a father to sit her down and talk with her because i didn't at that time and so these days i i cherish the moments that i have with my older daughter and my youngest ones as well because these days in a way like me and my oldest daughter kind of like we're growing up together and it's a cool thing yeah all right

1:16:29Barrett Sheets. All right. Here we are. Thank you, Mr. Johnson, for being here tonight. It's been great to hear from you. Thank you. As we've talked about a little bit today, you know, you've had a persona about strength and control for so many years. But obviously, Mark Kerr leans a lot more into pain and uncertainty. And I wanted to know whether it felt more uncomfortable or freeing to really show that vulnerability. So great. What's your name? Barrett sheets, Barry, Barrett, Barrett. Okay. No, no, it's okay. Uh, Barrett, thank you for that question. I feel like, um, you know, it was, it was really freeing for me to be honest with you.

1:17:08It really was because it's like, you know, for a long time, it's like, there's a, um, there's an image, right. That, that you got to live up to. And that's not always an easy thing not complaining like I'm not you know a tiny violin but that was the easiest thing and it was really freeing I think to not only collapse any kind of expectation of being what a somebody capable and and knowing all the answers and can get the job done and galvanizing people and things like that what I loved about this and becoming Mark Kerr was that it's just real and that's like real life and it's who we all are at the end of the day i may have uh according to some a pretty kind of cool nickname but at the end of the day man it's just like we're all human beings and we all have our problems and we all have our demons we all have our insecurities we all have the shit that we got to deal with all the time and it was very freeing and very it was like unlocking for me that's why I say god this thing changed my life because I was able to finally play a role that was real and that was a look into human vulnerability and what I also loved about it is you know Mark Kerr was at one time as you know the greatest fighter on the planet at one time capable, impervious but but struggled and struggled with his own mental health and challenges and depression and demons and addictions.

1:18:52Mark overdosed twice, so he's lucky to be alive, and he knows that, and these days he is an advocate for not only mental health, but also an advocate

1:19:08for asking for help and talking about it and how important that is because, man, we all go through this stuff. And, you know, it's always it's easier said than done to ask for help. But, you know, he is that champion. And so I think that question is a great question. Thank you, man. Thank you very much. Let's go to Michael Elkins. Hi. Hi. Thank you so much for being here. So we recently heard about the first AI actress, which sparked a lot of angst and discussion amongst real actors. What is your opinion about the situation and how AI is affecting Hollywood overall? Yeah, well, I think a few things.

1:19:47I think it's happening so fast that it's hard to keep up and it's hard to contain. But I also feel like what is important, a few things are important, but one of the anchoring things that's important is making sure that we take care of our own and making sure that we hold on to our jobs and making sure that at the end of the day, I feel deep in my bones that there's no substitute for human creativity and human interaction and human emotions. So I think that's a thing we have to protect and hold on to. I also feel like there's something intriguing to investigate and explore and try to understand of what's happening and how we could potentially utilize it to our benefit and not be fearful of it because I don't like to be fearful of things, but also there's stuff that I really want to obsessively protect and that's human beings and our jobs and our artistic creativities.

1:20:56Isabella Savija.

1:21:01Ta 'alofa lava. My name is Isabella Salavea. I'm a proud Afakasi and I'm also from Hawaii as well. My question for you, I just put it in my pocket for some reason, but what responsibilities come with being one of the most visible Samoan figures in entertainment and how do you bring practices of fa 'alo 'alo, respect and your family to Hollywood? That's a great question. Where in Hawaii from? I'm from Kaneohe on Oahu. Oh, nice. Yes. Did you go to high school there too as well? Yes, I did. Where at? I went to Sacred Hearts, but yeah. Go Lancers. Yeah. Yeah. Say that with pride. She's like, I kind of went to Sacred Hearts.

1:21:40I went to McKinley High School. Go Tigers. Yeah. Go Tigers. Got our ass kicked all the time. Listen, I love your question. And I feel like probably the responsibility that I think I have but I feel like we all have is to live with Samoa live with Aloha and live with that spirit I think it's important I'm lucky and blessed to be in a position where I have a little bit of influence and so I want to make sure that I I try to make the right decisions and try to act in step appropriately. And that would make our family and our culture proud. So I think, you know, for me, one of the most important things is, I think, was always to let culture be the guide.

1:22:30And when you let our culture, whether Samoa, Hawaii, Tonga, Fiji, New Zealand, Maori, when you let culture be your guide, then you could never go wrong so uh i love your question and i appreciate you what are you studying by the way um i'm broadcast journalism and documentary hey nice well maybe we'll work together one day hopefully hopefully yes i'll work for you one day daniel guajardo hi duane nice to meet you my name is Danny so someone at your caliber of success in both entertainment and business what are the most important qualities you look for in individuals to work with and collaborate with great question a few things I think I think the willingness to work hard now that seems simplistic but the willingness there's work hard and then there's grit and I think the willingness to go to that grit place and also listen to your gut.

1:23:36And I've been in a lot of situations where I run into some young people or people coming up and trying to turn the corner or trying to come up. And there's this thing that can kind of hold them back. And I always feel like, hey, if there's a voice telling you, hey, you can do more than you're right. If there's a voice that's telling you like, hey, I belong in that room. You're right. I belong at that table. You're right. So to go for it. And I also feel like one of the most important things that I learned over time was no one's going to give you anything, man. You got to go after it. And you have got to let it all go, if that makes sense.

1:24:19You know what I mean? Yeah. Yeah. Let's go for it, Danny. To Charlotte Moskowitz. Hello.

1:24:28Dwayne Johnson:Thank you so much for being here tonight. Hey, Charlotte. Thank you. I wanted to ask how your experience of preparing for a voice acting role, like the one that you've played in the Moana films, differs from preparing for a live action acting role. Yeah, that's a great question. I feel like with voice acting as opposed to acting, live acting, is there's a quality in your voice that you have to tap into. and there's a quality in every sound, I think in every sentence, in every word that you really have to pay attention to and become attuned to and I learned that very quickly on Moana in that life has to come through the voice and the voice has to have life.

1:25:17I think when you're acting like as in live action, you know, there's a lot happening. There's your facial expressions, there's your body English, there's your energy. You can act through the floor in the scenes as you have your acting partner, but when it comes to voice acting, it's just you in the studio. And so that's the thing I think that I realized very quickly. And by the way, it's a hell of a challenge to try and become a voice actor, especially in these movies where it's an animated film. It's a great challenge and I think when it hits, it's really gratifying and satisfying, like Moana 2, by the way.

1:26:00And also there's also a great benefit in just, you're in a studio and you can have multiple takes, multiple takes, and so there's a freedom there too as well that you could just try so much as well. So that's what I realized. Bagna Jastak. Hi, Rok. My name is Bognat Yastak. And so in the movie, we've seen Mark Kerr go from only caring about winning, and that was his main motivation, to then starting to see beautiful things in the world beyond that. So my question to you is, what makes you wake up every morning and hit the gym, even in the most difficult times, and how has it changed over different phases in your life?

1:26:41Thank you for being here. What an amazing question. Thank you. I think the thing that encourages me these days and inspires me is, well, it's probably just my babies, you know, and my family and wanting to get up. And I try to get up before the sun and before they get up, the girls get up, which is fairly early. I try to do that. But also, you know, the thing that I really realized over the past couple of years is what my interpretation and what my relationship is these days with what success means. And that's a thing that maybe there's a few takeaways for all of you guys as you leave here tonight.

1:27:28But one thing maybe you could take with you is what your relationship and your idea of success means and making it really means. So for me, these days, my idea of success and waking up every morning is two things. One is just how it all shakes out because you just never know how things are going to shake out. You can only control so much. I always like to say you've got to control the controllables, and that guides me as well. It's been my guiding light trying to control the controllables because you know, as you know, like we all try to control shit that we just can't control, whether it's other people, other people's actions or whatever it is.

1:28:10So it's that for me, but also what I realized the past couple of years is my relationship like with success or making it, what that means for me, waking up in the morning. And I know this sounds, maybe it sounds weird and simple, but it's just like being at peace, like just peace with my decisions peace with who I am and that takes time by the way you know that doesn't happen overnight but so I wish that for you I wish that for everybody just like and again it goes back to the thing that story we talked about which is it's easier said than done but but the most powerful thing we can be is really ourselves and that's the truth you know how we hear that a lot like you know like no fucks given and it is but in a way it's kind of true you know when you can be yourself like really that's a powerful place that's a that's a great place to leave it on behalf of all of us Dwayne thank you so man thank you thank you Scott so much I appreciate it thank you guys so much I appreciate it hey look you guys could be a lot of places on a Tuesday night so thank you for spending the time with me and Scott

1:29:32Thanks for listening to Awards Chatter. We really appreciate it and would really appreciate you taking just a minute more to subscribe to the podcast and to leave us a rating and review on your podcast app. And to follow us on Twitter and Instagram, where our handle is at Awards Chatter. On those platforms, we announce upcoming guests and provide details about special live recordings of the podcast that you can attend. Until next time, thanks again for tuning in.

1:30:01Dwayne Johnson:turn it up. Storm has zero sugar and 200 milligrams of caffeine. So you can turn that workout up a notch. Good energy in, good energy out. Energy for life.

1:30:16Dwayne Johnson:Pandora jewelry brings the sparkle to your summer. Now with even better prices. Enjoy up to 50 % off select styles. From personalized pieces to must-have favorites made for the summer. Timeless designs that shine with you through every moment. wherever the summer takes you. Shop in-store or online, now through July 6. Terms and conditions apply. Visit Pandora.net for details.