Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson turns 50: this is how he went from being a fighter to dominating Hollywood with his charisma

This May 2 Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson celebrates his 50 years positioned as one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, at the center of multi-million dollar franchises such as “Jumanji”, “The Fast and the Furious” and, soon, the DC Expanded Universe as the protagonist of “Black Adam”.

Live at the point of blows

It’s been a long career for the artist born on May 2, 1972, who as a young man wanted to be a professional football player before a back injury cut short his dreams. In the end, Dwayne Johnson followed in the footsteps of his grandfather and father, two famous professional wrestlers known as ‘Big Boss’ Peter Maivia and Rocky ‘Soulman’ Johnson respectively, and first found success inside the ring.

Adopting the name Rocky Maivia – a combination of his father’s and grandfather’s stage names – upon joining the World Wrestling Federation in 1996, Dwayne Johnson quickly became one of the league’s biggest stars in the late 1990s and 1990s. early 2000, where he earned the nickname ‘the Rock’.

Along with his popularity in the ring, Dwayne Johnson began to have experiences with the world of entertainment, appearing on television programs such as “That ’70s Show”, “Star Trek: Voyager” and the comedy show “Saturday Night Live”. between 1999 and 2000. The rise of his profile also led to his first approach to the cinema in 2001 with the film “The Mummy Returns”, where he played the character of the Scorpion King, an ancient Egyptian leader who serves as a secondary antagonist in the movie.

Despite his brief appearance in the film, the apparent popularity of Dwayne Johnson’s character led to his receiving his own film, where ‘the Rock’ had the lead role. While “The Scorpion King” was only a moderate success at the box office, grossing $178.8 million according to Box Office Mojo, the film showed Johnson that he could have a career in movies.

“I wanted to have a real and lasting career that had weight and value. And I wanted to become a real presence at the box office. (…) And he wanted to be the number 1 man in the world of Hollywood in terms of box office”, revealed Johnson during a question and answer session with his fans. “That was my goal at 29 years old and I was prepared to work hard. I gave myself a 10-12 year plan, but I also knew that life is so unpredictable. “

Despite this, ‘the Rock’ admitted to having been nervous about the transition: “I was very nervous because I also knew that. historically. It didn’t matter that he was successful in another arena. The fact that he was a successful professional wrestler did not mean, in any case, that he was going to make me a legitimate box office attraction or movie star. there were no guarantees.”

What followed was a series of roles in which Dwayne Johnson experienced varying degrees of success, from the relatively successful “The Rundown” (2003) and “Get Smart” (2008), to truly embarrassing movies like “Tooth Fairy” (2010). ). In 2011, the actor had his first real box office success by joining the cast of “Fast Five”, the fifth installment of the famous franchise “The Fast and the Furious”, in which he continued with “Fast & Furious 6” (2013) , “Furious 7″ (2015), “The Fate of the Furious” (2017) and finally the spin-off “Hobbs & Shaw” (2019).

It was in that last decade that ‘the Rock’ climbed to the greatest heights of cinema, venturing into animation with Disney with the movie “Moana” in 2016, as well as blockbusters such as “Jumanji” (2017), “Jungle Cruise” (2021) and “Red Notice” (2021). In this last film she acted alongside Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds. In total, movies starring Dwayne Johnson have grossed $10.5 billion to date and his popularity shows no sign of abating. He is even a producer of the sitcom “Young Rock”; based on his childhood experiences.

Here are Dwayne ‘the Rock’ Johnson’s top 10 appearances:

10. “Jungle Cruise” (2021)

Dwayne Johnson stars alongside Emily Blunt in this Disney adventure through the Amazon that only stays afloat thanks to the charisma of its stars.

9. “Be Cool” (2005)

In a case where fiction mimics reality, Johnson plays a fighter and bodyguard who dreams of becoming an actor.

8. “Get Smart” (2008)

Though now best known for starring in movies, Johnson had his stint as a villain. Here, one of the best performances of him in this role.

7. “Central Intelligence” (2016)

Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart star in this hilarious spy comedy that proves ‘The Rock’ has a talent as a comedian.

6. “The Other Guys” (2010)

Dwayne Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson have a supporting but memorable role as typical perfect cops who contrast with the bumbling leads played by Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg.

5. “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” (2017)

The sequel to “Jumanji” (1995) brings together Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson again for an entertaining journey through the jungle. The film managed to raise almost a billion globally, becoming one of the biggest hits in the actor’s career.

4. “Snitch” (2013)

Dwayne Johnson gives a more subtle performance than usual in this action movie about a father who decides to become a snitch inside a cartel to reduce his son’s sentence.

3. “The Rundown” (2003)

His second movie as the lead is also one of his best, with Dwayne Johnson showing great chemistry with Seann William Scott in this action-comedy also set in the Amazon.

2. “The Fast and the Furious” (2011-2019)

Although his return seems more than unlikely, Dwayne Johnson left a permanent mark on the history of this franchise with his role as Luke Hobbs, an antagonist turned ally of the protagonists.

1. “Moana” (2016)

Despite being an animated film, Dwayne Johnson lends his presence and character to the god Maui in this modern Disney classic. He additionally sings the incredibly catchy song “You’re Welcome” composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda.