Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson is huge, both literally
and figuratively.
There are few working actors more recognizable
today, and his brand is solid gold.
From TV shows to blockbuster films, clothing
lines to documentary production, Johnson has
his hands in a ton of projects — and most
of them are massive successes.
While Johnson is very open about his story,
there are still a few stones that are largely
unturned to even the biggest fans of the the
Rock.
Before he became the biggest star in Hollywood,
Dwayne Johnson was the Rock, an eternal icon
of professional wrestling.
In his heyday, the Rock was the biggest name
in the business, with his bombastic personality,
excellent microphone skills, and classic matches
cementing him as an all-time great of the
industry.
He was so great, in fact, that it's sometimes
easy to forget that at one point he was perhaps
the least popular wrestler on the roster.
Johnson debuted under the name Rocky Maivia,
the name drawn from his father and grandfather's
wrestling identities, Rocky Johnson and Peter
Maivia, respectively.
He competed with a goofy costume and an even
more ridiculous haircut.
This didn't go over too well with fans and
they quickly turned on him, filling arenas
with "ROCKY SUCKS!" chants regularly.
It wasn't until he turned heel and started
referring to himself in the third person as
"the Rock" that fans began warming to him.
He's since become a legend, but even legends
often have humble, and slightly embarrassing,
beginnings.
Johnson's ascent as a pro wrestler transcended
the industry and reached into pop culture
in a way few wrestlers have been able to do
before or since.
After a hosting gig on Saturday Night Live,
he found Hollywood opening its doors to him;
it wasn't long before he made his big-screen
debut as the Scorpion King in The Mummy Returns.
A Scorpion King spin off followed, and the
$5.5 million paycheck Johnson received for
it was at the time the largest ever given
to an actor for their first starring role.
It's an appropriate start for Johnson, who
has since set records as one of the highest-paid
actors in the world.
He's clearly been primed for that accolade
since day one.
Johnson is an open book when it comes to his
upbringing, including his less-than-shining
legal record as a teen.
While growing up in Hawaii, he was frequently
arrested for his involvement in a local theft
ring.
"I used to stop at this 7/11, I swear to God,
everyday, and I used to steal a king-sized
Snickers bar."
Though not all of his thievery was part of
big time crime, Johnson is on the record as
saying the only reason he isn't in jail is
because of his extremely supportive family.
He's also taken those experiences and turned
them into something good.
He now works frequently with rehabilitation
programs and even made one the subject of
his HBO documentary Rock and a Hard Place.
Leave it to Johnson to find something good
in the darker moments of his past.
Johnson is an iconic superstar, but even he
has idols.
He is a die-hard Elvis Presley fan and has
managed to inject a healthy dose of his fandom
into a few of his projects.
All the Elvis memorabilia depicted in the
film The Game Plan actually belongs to Johnson
in real life.
There was also that time he dressed up as
Vegas-era Elvis to serenade a crowd of United
States servicemen with a rendition of "Jailhouse
Rock."
Johnson seems like a guy who doesn't settle
for anything but the best, so it makes perfect
sense that his favorite musician is one of
the indisputable all-time greats.
One of the most famous collaborations between
Tim Burton and Johnny Depp in the early 2000s
was an adaptation of the novel Charlie and
the Chocolate Factory, with Depp playing the
quirky chocolatier Willy Wonka.
What does this have to do with the Rock?
In the most out-of-left-field twist since
the glass elevator launching into the sky,
Burton's second choice for the role of Willy
Wonka was none other than Johnson.
It's so entirely on the other end of the spectrum
in terms of casting that it honestly might
have worked.
Depp's impish, whimsical performance is fun,
but it's hard not be curious about what Johnson's
take on the character could have been.
It's impossible to measure how generous a
celebrity is with their fans, but Johnson
has just about the next best thing.
In 2015, he set a Guinness World Record for
the most selfies taken within a three-minute
period.
He set this record on the red carpet premiere
of his film San Andreas.
It would have taken just over 75 selfies to
set the record, and of course Johnson crushed
it, with a stunning 105 selfies in three minutes.
Johnson's physique obviously plays a major
role in his allure as a star.
Johnson leans into it, too, posting insane
gym videos on Instagram regularly and launching
his own workout clothing line through Under
Armour.
You probably already know how much work he
puts in while at the gym, but what will really
blow your mind is what Johnson has to do in
the kitchen to keep his muscle mass up.
"You have to be watching your diet ‘cause
we know diet, like they say, abs are made
in the kitchen, so, more than you’re working
out."
“Diet’s everything."
Johnson eats enough food for several families
everyday, massive amounts of proteins, greens,
and healthy carbs to make any mere mortal
sick.
The impressive stat, though?
Johnson is big on cod, so much so that he
eats over 800 pounds of it every year.
That's more than two pounds of fish every
single day.
We're sure it gets old after the first few
hundred pounds, but credit where it's due:
it sure pays off.
