Hollywood powerhouse Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has dealt with a slew of trials and tribulations
over the years that even his most die-hard fans might not know about. Here’s a look
at some tragic details about Dwayne Johnson.
Long before he was the highest-paid male actor in Hollywood, earning an impressive $87.5
million in 2020, per Forbes, Dwayne Johnson was a teen watching his family struggle with
money. His dad, Rocky, was on the road, pursuing his professional wrestling career while Johnson
and his mom, Ata, stayed behind in her native Hawaii. Speaking of those years with The Hollywood
Reporter, the wrestler-turned-actor admitted that, as a kid, his future didn't exactly
look bright.
For one, he was getting into frequent trouble with the law after joining a gang that would
steal from the most affluent stores in Waikiki. For another, Johnson looked on as his mother's
car was repossessed, and a week later, they were kicked out of their house. He remembered
going home to find a padlock and an eviction notice on the door and his mom bawling. Johnson
added,
“She just started crying and breaking down," asking, 'Where are we going to live? What
are we going to do?'”
Watching his mom struggle to keep a roof over their heads was a, quote, "tipping point."
It was then that Johnson asked himself,
"What can I control with these two hands? [...] the only thing I could do was train
and build my body. The successful men I knew were men who built their bodies."
So that's what he did, setting his sights on the NFL and landing a full football scholarship
to the University of Miami.
Just a year after Dwayne Johnson watched his mother brought to tears by an eviction, he
witnessed her attempt to take her own life. In 2018, while shooting "Ballers," the actor
took to Instagram to share a behind-the-scenes shot of himself filming a particularly emotional
scene. In it his character visited the grave of a brother who committed suicide. Sharing
that it got him thinking about his own experience, he revealed that his mom, quote, "tried to
check out" while driving on Interstate 65 in Nashville when he was just 15.
Opening up about the incident, Johnson told his fans how his mom got out of the car and
walked into oncoming traffic. He witnessed big rigs and cars swerving to avoid hitting
her. Johnson quickly hopped out of the car and grabbed her, pulling her back to the shoulder
of the road and saving her life.
Johnson was thankful that he was there to help his mother, as he knows that isn’t
always the case, but the experience shook him to his very core. He told Express in 2018
that it pushed him into a deep depression.
"I reached a point where I didn't want to do a thing or go anywhere. I was crying constantly."
He said that he and his mother have now, quote, “both healed,” though Ata still has no
recollection of the event. He went on to encourage others to always be aware of others around
them, paying attention to when loved ones are in pain and need help.
“In that moment, one of the greatest lessons I’ve ever learned was how precious life
is.”
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide
Prevention Lifeline​ at​ 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.
Dwayne Johnson may seem like the ultimate tough guy, but as he confessed to The Hollywood
Reporter in 2014, he's battled depression on multiple occasions. When he was a freshman,
for example, a major injury in which his shoulder popped out of its socket forced him off the
football field and into a dark place. He didn’t understand his lack of motivation and apathy
at the time, so he dropped out of university and moved in with his parents.
Eventually, his coach got him back in school, but the 1995 NFL draft came and went without
him. Johnson was eventually drafted by the Canadian Football League but was dropped just
a year after signing. This time, he admitted that there was no injury, and it was simply
that he wasn’t good enough. He explained that the experience was very sobering. And
it wasn't just his career that fell apart, his girlfriend also broke up with him. He
told Express,
"That was my absolute worst time [...] I was devastated and depressed [...] [with] seven
bucks to my name."
Johnson did eventually find his calling, following in his dad's footsteps in the WWE. In 1997,
his love life got better too when he married Dany Garcia, and then his acting career took
off with 2001's "The Mummy Returns." But depression can strike at any time, and it did following
his 2008 divorce. He told The Hollywood Reporter.
"Once I manned up and became accountable for the mess I was in, that's when it all hit
me."
Dwayne Johnson began speaking candidly about his fight with depression while encouraging
others to do the same. That's because, as he tweeted in 2018, it took him a long time
to realize that depression can happen to anyone, and we all need to learn to not be afraid
of opening up. He added,
“Especially us dudes have a tendency to keep it in [...] You're not alone."
Taking to Instagram in 2021, Johnson shared more of his long journey to the realization
that asking for help is not a weakness but actually a superpower. In the post, the actor
linked to an interview with People in which he spoke of his first experience with depression
at 18. He admitted that back then he didn’t understand depression. He's just thought to
himself,
'Get off the couch and get your s*** together and change what's happening here.'"
But that wasn't the right approach to overcoming his struggles, and he didn't really begin
healing until he realized that asking for help is actually the most powerful thing you
can do. He further explained, saying,
“Men especially fall into this trap of being really adverse to vulnerability. But the truth
is you have to, hopefully over time, learn to embrace that."
“Trust me.”
Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia tied the knot in 1997 and enjoyed a decade together before
calling it quits in 2007. Following their split, they remained incredibly close, so
much so that Garcia continued to work as her ex's manager. She told the People that their
history actually helped them succeed in business. She added,
“We have that extra layer of trust that can only come from family. We are just a different
family, and we keep adding new people."
She noted that they continue to spend holidays together with their respective partners and
kids. But that doesn't mean their divorce was easy.
As Johnson told The Hollywood Reporter in 2014, the end of his marriage actually pushed
him into a depression, making him face tough questions. He asked himself,
"What kind of dad does this make me? What kind of man will I now become?"
Later speaking with WSJ magazine in 2019, the actor also shared how it took him over
10 years to become open to the idea of getting married again. He and Lauren Hashian had tied
the knot earlier that year after 12 years of dating, and Johnson shared that his past
played a role in his reluctance to walk down the aisle. He explained,
"My divorce did a number on me [...] I wasn't fearful of getting married again, there was
just some hesitancy."
Paul Walker's death in a California car crash in 2013 shook Hollywood as peers and fans
alike mourned the actor. Among all those grieving was his "Fast & Furious" co-star, Dwayne Johnson.
Recalling the very moment he learned of Walker's death, the actor told The Hollywood Reporter
he was driving with Lauren Hashian when the news broke. He shared,
"I pulled over and looked at my messages and had a moment where I just caught my breath."
Afterward, the pair then said a prayer for Walker's daughter, drove home, and that's
when they, quote, “started bawling.”
That wouldn't be the only time Johnson was struck by the loss of a beloved colleague.
In 2020, he lost another friend when WWE star Shad Gaspard died in a freak accident on Venice
Beach. The 39-year-old was swimming with his 10-year-old son when they got pulled into
a rip current. While lifeguards were able to save the child, Gaspard disappeared, and
his body was found on the beach three days later.
Taking to Instagram after the tragic accident, Johnson admitted that he was hurting, calling
Gaspard a great guy with a, quote, "warrior spirit." He made sure to share his friend's
heroic actions with the world, adding,
"Shad drowned in the ocean, but not before instructing lifeguards to save his 10yr old
son first. That's the love of a father."
Dwayne Johnson didn't always have the best relationship with his dad, Rocky. Johnson
told the Hollywood Reporter that, as a teen, he was angry with his father for being absent
and for making the family move 13 times, sometimes staying in one place for just a few months.
Their bond eventually strengthened, however, and Rocky, a WWE Hall of Famer, mentored his
son when he decided to follow in his footsteps.
But in January 2020, Rocky suddenly died at the age of 75. As Johnson shared on Instagram,
he didn't get to say goodbye. He wrote,
"Dad, I wish I had one more shot to tell you, I love you, before you crossed over to the
other side […] I'm in pain."
Johnson later revealed that his dad had been battling a cold and infection before suffering
from a deep vein thrombosis, which eventually led to a blood clot in his leg. That clot
broke free and traveled to his lung, and he died very quickly from a heart attack. Admitting
that he found great comfort in learning that his dad, quote, "went fast," Johnson encouraged
his followers to hug their loved ones, not knowing what’s around the corner.
Adding to the pain, Johnson also lost his pro wrestling mentor and father figure later
that year when WWE star Pat Patterson died in December 2020. As he told WIRED,
"I lost my father and my father figure in the same year."
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