The Rock has become the most successful wrestler-turned-actor of all time.
The man, known now as Dwayne Johnson, has become much bigger than other wrestler-turned-actors like Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant ever did.
Johnson is back in New Zealand cinemas, this time in the iconic role of Hercules.
The Greek hero has been played in the past by Hollywood muscle men including Lou Ferrigno, Steve Reeves and the great Arnold Schwarzenegger - but Johnson wants his to be the definitive Hercules.
"We wanted to make sure that this Hercules was a defining Hercules," says Johnson.
"His look, his body looked experienced, raw and survived. That's the type of Hercules we wanted to make."
Indeed, Johnson took his already huge body to a new level for the film, and documented the process on social media, as he does with much of his life.
"I always look at my social media like a buffet, so whatever you're looking for you can stop on by and I think you can get it," says Johnson.
"Whether it's inspiration, motivation, physical fitness, little bit of insight, little bit of experience, here's what my life experience has been like, here's what the movie I'm shooting is like, here's a behind-the-scene look, here's a dirty joke, here's my favourite tequila, haha, here's a lot of different things."
Not that long ago Johnson was just another dorky looking wrestler. Last year, he was the second highest-paid actor in the world behind Robert Downey Jr, but the most profitable with more than US$1 billion dollars in box office revenue.
Treating his fans right on social media is a big part of why Johnson has become so successful.
"It has wound up being one of the best decisions I have ever made, was getting involved with social media," says Johnson.
"The growth has been phenomenal, almost 50 million people across three platforms, and very, very engaging fans, which I love."
Johnson's legion of Kiwi fans - which surely include his old schoolmates from Grey Lynn - can check him out on the big screen as Hercules now.
3 News
source: newshub archive
