Dwayne Johnson has come a long way from when his Hollywood career first began. His name in the industry stands amongst the biggest stars out there. His career from being a wrestler to an actor has been quite a ride. Needless to say, this ride also included a lot of bumps. Switching careers is far from easy and he was not one to back down.
The pro wrestler turned actor was determined to not let his dreams pass him by and knew that if push came to shove, he would make it so that he achieved his goals. It was this determination that eventually led him to take a drastic step that not only turned his Hollywood career around but made him one of the wealthiest and most celebrated action stars of today. It took him a long time to understand what he wanted and as a high-school student, he would have never pictured just how far Johnson would be able to come.
Updated: October 9, 2023 (
As someone who wanted to be a football player in his early years, the wrestler-turned-actor was determined and knew that if push comes to shove, he would make it so that he achieves his goals. With Tooth Fairy – which grossed $112M worldwide, Dwayne Johnson won hearts but failed to win the critics. Although he made quite a buck despite the movie being panned by critics, The Rock did choose to make some career adjustments post the 2010 flick – which currently holds a 17% Rotten Tomatoes score.
Why Did Dwayne Johnson Leave His Old Team?
Dwayne Johnson may be a massive part of Hollywood now but that was not how he started off. His early years in the industry were marked by traumatic experiences as Johnson felt unhappy with his team at CAA where he was repeatedly asked to conform to the physical standards set by Hollywood stars, stating that he would gain success by doing so. The years that followed were littered with roles that failed to exploit and use the vast wealth of talents of the action movie star.
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The Rock took Vince McMahon’s advice and spoke with WME’s Ari Emanuel. Then he had a meeting with Ari Emanuel along with his ex-wife Dany Garcia. The meeting also involved Johnson’s future key representative – Brad Slater.
In a profile interview with The Hollywood Reporter, The Rock revealed the circumstances leading up to his breaking point:
“I was told that I had to conform to a standard in Hollywood that would beget me more work, better roles. Which meant I had to stop going to the gym… which meant you had to distance yourself from wrestling. You essentially had to deconstruct yourself. Then that started to not feel good to me. It reached a point of, ‘I’m not feeling authentic.’ – The Hollywood Reporter
Why is Dwayne Johnson not scared of failure? Because he has already made tough decisions in the past. Right when his career was on the rise, he distanced himself from WWE, wanting to create his own brand. These sacrifices helped him relate to Black Adam better. In an interview with Good Morning America, The Rock explained:
There were a lot of things like that I was being told and if you don’t know any better you buy into it. And I bought into it for a couple of years before I said, ‘This ends right now. And I’m gonna be myself and at least if I fail, I’m gonna fail being me.’ So, I tapped into that, because a lot of those elements are what surrounds Black Adam’s life. And his existence of being told ‘you have to do it like that.’ – Good Morning America
2010 was his turning point. Dany Garcia, Johnson’s former wife and current manager revealed to The Hollywood Reporter, “After Tooth Fairy, we recognized that Dwayne was moving away from his core of who he was.” He was already hungry for a change and it all snapped into place after his team at CAA refused to let him back into the ring. Soon after securing the Fast Five deal, the actor fired his old team at CAA and began to look for “bigger and better opportunities” which he later found at WME.
Dwayne Johnson Found Success After Making a Change
Breaking ties with CAA after Tooth Fairy marked a radical shift for The Rock. Up until that point in his career, the actor only landed films that were massive box office disasters, including The Rundown, Doom, and Southland Tales. However, after his shift to WME, the actor began to consistently knock it out of the park with Fast & Furious films, Snitch, GI Joe: Retaliation, Pain & Gain, San Andreas, and more.
Dwayne Johnson’s box office reputation skyrocketed and he was soon after hailed by Beau Flynn as “the biggest star around” and by director John Chu as “Franchise Viagra” for his ability to revive doomed movie franchises with his screen presence.
Later, The Rock revealed to Yahoo! what prompted his decision to take a step that changed his life forever:
“You know what happens when you have a vision, and you want it executed in a certain way, you need people around you who are going to believe in that too. And at that time, there were some things that were happening… and I knew I had to make a change.” – Yahoo!
Fortunately, the change came at a point where the actor felt physically and mentally prepared to take on a greater challenge. The years after his shift to WME were not only marked by successive blockbuster hits but also a growing business empire aided by his manager Dany Garcia and their collective investment in entrepreneurial ventures, alcohol brands, and a rebooted minor league football league.
Currently, The Rock boasts a net worth of nearly $800 million and is leading the trailblazing path for future stars with his filmography and relentless charitable endeavors.
Source: Good Morning America
