Dwayne Johnson may still be known throughout the world as ‘The Rock’ but he’s now better known as a serious action star in the likes of films like the high-octane Faster.
In the adrenaline-fueled action film Faster behemoth Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has a role he was born to play. As Driver, he’s a man on a mission hell bent on heading straight from a ten year jail stint to avenge his brother’s murder.
At his disposal, a charging muscle car, a whopping gun and sheer fearlessness. He’ll need all that – and lots more - if he’s going to outwit a hot-in-pursuit eccentric assassin and the cops.
Johnson, keen to revisit his action roots, immediately connected to his character.
“I would go to the ends of the earth to protect my family. I think we all would,” he says. “That was something that resonated with me.”
“I would go to the ends of the earth to protect my family. I think we all would,” he says. “That was something that resonated with me.”
Though an extensive back story and Clint Eastwood movies helped Johnson prepare for the role, nothing could replace hearing a range of inmate experiences first hand.
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| Pout and Point |
This allowed him to “get into their psyche, their thought process and their perspective on what it’s like to take another man’s life.”
Believe it or not, Johnson needed to then beef up his build to play imposing criminal Driver and learn to fight like a hard-bitten inmate.
But it’s clear the charismatic star had the most fun tinkering with guns and cars, enthusing “It’s a ‘big boys with toys’ dream.”
KNOW THE ROCK
Winning millions of fans as wrestling superstar ‘The Rock’, Dwayne Johnson pulverised his way further into popular culture twelve years ago to become a bona fide box office draw.
His movies, including The Scorpion King, Welcome to the Jungle, Be Cool, The Tooth Fairy and Fast Five have amassed over $US1.5 billion.
VITAL STATS
Name: Dwayne Johnson.
Nicknames: The Rock, The People's Champion, The Brahma Bull, The Great One.
Age: 40
Height: 1.93 m
Weight: 116kg.
MORE ROCK
Originally entered the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) as ‘Rocky Maivia’ in 1996 as a ‘face’ or hero character.
From March 1997, was known as ‘The Rock’ and swapped sides to become a ‘heel’ or villain.
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| In case he forgot it, he had his name stamped on his jocks |
The Rock’s signature wrestling moves included The Samoan Drop, The People’s Elbow and Rock Bottom.
The Rock’s $US5.5 million salary for 2002’s The Scorpion King scored him a place in the Guinness Book of Records as the highest paid actor to receive top billing for the first time.
The Rock is a bestselling author with best selling autobiography The Rock Says and is a platinum recording artist via an original song of his that was included in the compilation album WWF The Music. Vol. 5
Faster airs tonight at 9.30pm on GO.
This is an edited version of a story first published in Blockbuster Interaction Magazine, July 2011.
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