Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson

Interview By: Stephen Snart
StephenSnart@TheCinemaSource.com

In The Scorpion King he showed us he could crush skulls and look cool in a loin cloth. In The Rundown he proved he could act alongside Christopher Walken and not get upstaged. In Be Cool he displayed his ability to make light of his star image. Now, in Gridiron Gang, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson reveals his sensitive side.

As the lead role in the gritty football movie, Johnson stars as real-life hero Sean Porter ' a counselor at a juvenile detention camp. Porter gave hope to hundreds of juvenile delinquents by practicing reformation through football. When their neglectful families had given up on them, Porter gave these unfortunate children an opportunity to prove themselves to their community.

Given his physical prowess, Johnson is a natural choice to play a hard-working football coach and - in a couple of respects - the role was tailor-made to fit him. Johnson could relate first-hand to the plights of the juvenile delinquents at the center of the film. "It was bad decision after bad decision. By the time I was 14, I had been arrested 6 or 7 times. By the time I was 17, it was 9 times. I was lucky that I had my own Sean Porter, basically. My arresting officer who had arrested me multiple times said, 'Listen, you're gonna stop f-ing up right now.' He cared enough when he certainly didn't have to. He said, 'I want you to go out for the football team.' I played for ten years after that.'

Having been in a similar situation to the characters in the film, Johnson knew the importance of bringing this true story to the big screen. "These kids who are the real deal, that are portrayed in the movie, who - as I speak today - are locked up in prison. They come from a world of neglect'failure'drugs'broken homes. So, it's an immeasurable value when you get someone who really cares about them. [Porter] told these kids, 'Even though you're locked up, you are somebody. Don't give up hope.''

Taking on the role of Porter was no small challenge for Johnson, there was plenty of internal pressure to perform. "As an actor, there's a sense of responsibility to play a guy who did really, really great things for people' for kids' there's that responsibility you have to get it right.' Meeting the real Sean Porter had an immensely profound effect on both his performance and his personal life. "I took away a guy who is selfless. I mean really selfless. I was proud to know him and still proud to call him my friend today.' Johnson recalls one of his proudest moments on the project: seeing Porter's reaction to the finished cut. "I was humbled that he watched the movie. He cried at the end. His words to me were simply, 'thank you.' That was it. No, 'great job, are we going on Oprah'' It wasn't anything like that. Just 'thank you' and he walked away.'

Apparently the filmmakers weren't as nervous about Johnson's ability to effectively portray Porter as the actor was himself. In fact, he was carefully handpicked for the role by the filmmakers. "The producer said, 'listen, I have this project I've had for 12 years. I've waited for the right actor to come along. I think you're the right actor but before you read the script, all I ask is you just promise me you'll watch the documentary first.' Johnson gamely watched the 1993 documentary, also entitled Gridiron Gang and was unequivocally impressed. "I was moved. I couldn't believe it. I could not believe it. It was amazing. The powerful message that it sent ' simple message ' don't ever give up, don't ever lose hope.'

Johnson is forever grateful the producer took a chance on him because many Hollywood executives were only interested in casting him if the film involved lots of stunt work and a high body count. Johnson reveals that he always intended to make films of Gridiron Gang's nature and has been subtly working to achieve this position ever since he burst into the industry. "The one thing I wanted to do was make sure I was prepared. I wanted to make sure I was surrounded by good actors [and] a good director.' In between films, Johnson has worked tirelessly to improve his acting abilities. "I had a chance to work with some really, really good acting coaches. I knew then, the type of actor, hopefully, I would become. I just didn't want to break in and do action movies. I knew that' studios didn't know that!' he says with zest. "I knew it would take time. It was going to be a process,' he realized resiliently.

All of Johnson's hard work and discipline has clearly paid off. Comparing his work in Gridiron Gang with his screen debut in The Mummy Returns is a prime filmic example of the progression of a determined student. Just as he climbed the wrestling business to enviable heights, his acting career has been ascending steadily over the years. Next, he can be seen in Richard Kelly's long awaited follow up to Donnie Darko entitled Southland Tales in which he plays the hero in an apocalyptic view of the future of Los Angeles. This September he begins work on his next project, another football movie entitled The Game Plan. Although, like Gridiron Gang, this isn't your average football movie, this time Johnson plays a star athlete who gets a surprise visit from a daughter he didn't know he had. In the film, he will get the opportunity to serenade his daughter with Elvis songs something that the actor is extremely excited about. Diehard wrestling fans will have to sit tight to find out if he'll reprise his popular rendition of Heartbreak Hotel for the feature film. Until then, there's always WWF DVDs.