Dwayne Johnson is one of the most well-known individuals in the world. While his work in Hollywood has certainly contributed to his success, having starred in projects like Black Adam, the Jumanji film series, The Fast and the Furious franchise, and Moana, his early career in a different field is what truly made him as successful as he is today. Johnson made a name for himself through his time as a WWE wrestler, being a very important part of why this genre has become as famous as it has.
Being one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, the actor has inspired an entire generation of people. Knowing this and how big of an impact he has had on the industry as a whole, it is interesting to find out that the actor tried steroids when he was younger.
Dwayne Johnson Tried Steroids When He Was Younger
Dwayne Johnson has not shied away from admitting that he tried steroids when he was younger. Confessing about something like this could have easily been career suicide for him, considering how many people have not been able to make a comeback from something like this. During an interview with MTV, the actor admitted that when he was younger, around the age of eighteen-nineteen, he and his friends once tried steroids. After making a statement as big as this, Johnson clarified a few things to stop public outrage over a figure as big as him admitting to something like this.
“I tried it,” Johnson admitted. “Me and my buddies tried it back in the day when I was 18 or 19. Didn’t know what we were doing.”
“It’s not as prevalent today in our sports as it was 10 years ago,” Johnson said. “But we have to recognize that a culture was created where it was OK to do that, and a lot of team managers, owners, players who didn’t do it would turn the other cheek. We recognize that, and now we have to institute stronger penalties, which we are doing.”
He explained that they did not know any better when they did this, adding that the times were much different when this happened. The public opinion on steroids was a lot different, with the use of them being a lot more normalized. Allowances were made and people looked away for a lot. He then went on to say that the penalties and repercussions of doing something like this today are a lot stricter, than they should be, voicing his dislike of performance-enhancing drugs.
He Has Not Touched Steroids Ever Since
It is only natural that admitting to trying steroids would not come without backlash. During an interview with Forture, Dwayne Johnson eased some of the concerns that people had about his professional life. He started by saying that there are a lot of people out there that want to discredit his success, by putting on a performance-enhancing drug rather than all of the hard work that he has put into it. He understands that there are suspicions that come with such a confession, however, he clarified these.
“Sure, you get a lot of people out there who will suspect, and say sh*t,” he told. “They want to negate the hard work you put in.” He then mentioned that, “Training is my anchor. Being on a regimented schedule, setting a goal, failing at a goal. It’s the philosophies of being an athlete that carry me today.”
He explained that training in the gym is one of the biggest, most important parts of his life. Not only does he find it therapeutic, but he also added that the concept of having to follow a specific regime helps him a lot. Everything that makes an athlete authentic, including not using steroids, are philosophies that are very important to him and carry him.
