>> So I kind of always wondered what little Dwayne Johnson
would look like as a kid I kind of pictured you coming out of
the, six-pack muscle like I don’t know what I imagined,
but there was something about you was a baby was a young
child that just captured me what were you like as a little
kid.
>> I was I was a pain in the is what I was like that’s a little
kid, I was a pain. I was I was rambunctious I was just a ball
of energy.
>> But from what I am.
>> It would gather from my parents over the years as I was
I was a good boy and I was an only child so you know we
travel around a lot following the career of my dad, so I was
really number one place for honestly about a year stability
wasn’t really a cornerstone of my life when I was a little boy
but I think being able to you know move from state to state
and starting anew and new kids new friends, new school.
Probably why the therapy today, however, I think but I think I
was I was a good kid, but for the record because the world is
watching. Yeah I came out of the and I slept the doctor or
>> Bad you are a bad boy okay can see right now. It’s it was
so.
so cool and we’re going to talk about the show which I think is
a brilliant idea.
But even though it’s a comedy I feel like I’ve got to know your
family and I was just imagining you as a little boy idolize
your dad man and walking into these rooms filled with your
dad and Andre, the giant and these legends in the pro
wrestling world, what was that like as a kid.
>> You don’t know what you know when you’re in it. But as is
often the irony of life is what you’re not in it anymore and
maybe and as a kid you grow up and then you look back in.
It was an extraordinary life. That was also very unique.
What I mean by that you know I think the world of professional
wrestling at that time in the 70’s 80’s lows as wrestling was
almost booming. They had all these larger than life
characters, Andre, the giant and Randy macho man savage.
Guys like that who I adored as a kid growing up, but I
certainly adored my dad, my dad was my hero and you know your
product of your environment so I would go to these wrestling
matches that often times at that time hoda we’re in very
small venues. Sometimes high school gyms but the irony of
that is that they were heroes and gladiators for that 2 and a
half hours. Whether it’s in front of 5,000 people are 500
in that moment they were heroes, I was just always
fascinated with the world wrestling in. And again,
I love my dad, I was an only child so he can raise me with a
with a with a tough man.
>> But it was all the underpinning of love was always
there. This show when they said hey hey Dwayne hey how about if
we do less of a sitcom on your life where you like my life or
were you like yeah, let’s go with my life.
>> Well at first blush you think well that’s wonderful for
it’s serendipity is actually that it all came together.
The way it has because I have you realize is I get a little
older in life and these years go by and I started you know
share my stories you realize that I’ve had just this floor
is going to be in life that has intersected with so many people
in so many heroes to the world. And but yet at the same time
that delicate balance of being evicted living paycheck to
paycheck and trying to balance that out as a kid as a
teenager, multiple arrests when I was a teenager trying to stay
on the right path. But yet at the same time that been very
fortunate in terms of
being able to
whole many lessons that I’ve learned over the years and now
being able to share that through this. You know this
idea of comedy into the scope of of comedy is just
phenomenal. I tell you this whole that we went in to pitch
this. And you never know with these things as you know in the
world of entertainment you’re going to pitch an idea the
thing and this is going to be amazing and then nobody buys it
so we went in with good today, NBC and it was a very surreal
moment in probably about 10 minutes into an hour pitch.
That was scheduled for an hour. The president at that time
said.
>> We’re in oh my gosh what oh my gosh well, you know, I love
about it’s fluid like lots of humor. There’s a scene in there
where Andre, the giant picks you up as a young kid like
almost by the shirt collar that really happen.
>> Oh yes, now the thing about Andre, I had a really
wonderful.
Relationship with Andre again when your little boy he’s just
on the laundry, it was a giant and you know I jump on him and
pull is Afro and run around and try to make him play with me
in, but you know, here’s play with historically that’s what
he was always very gracious but ondrej in the world of
professional wrestling was highly respected him and when
you everyone when you walk into a locker room everyone had to
the first thing you had to do you have to be line to Andre,
you have to shake his hand and usually with playing cards and
he you would have just stand there and wait to lose ready to
shake your hand and I’m not in this is no way no way
disparaging it was a beautiful human being that’s just the way
he was. So as a little boy it was important for him that I
learn respect not only respect for elders, but also respect
for the world of professional wrestling.
>> I thought it was so I just I opening to me and I didn’t know
all this about your past but when you your mom and your dad
hop in the car or fancy car coming back from fancy
wrestling match. Only to roll up to kind of like a kind of a
bad Motel 6. And that’s where you were living and your dad
made a comment to you in the sitcom like it’s you know,
they don’t see us coming home Sunday just as hopping in the
car.
Do you remember life being about appearances.
>> The majority of my life when I was growing up it was all
about appearances and that’s one of the
it I think that’s one of the unique distinctly unique
aspects of pro wrestling back then. Now it’s different it’s a
it’s a mostly successful and you know guys are making in
guys and girls making millions of dollars.
Back then it was much much different and there wasn’t one
company.
Like the wwe there were multiple little territories
that lessons would wrestle him, and when you run was up,
say for example, the territory, Florida we pack up and moving
to go to Georgia to start all over again. So the idea of
appearances was that was the life and we determine that I
was love using is working to get back. You got to work the
gimmick and that again it’s that that’s the very unique
aspects about progress in fact that is that it was always so
important for the fans to always see the wrestlers as
starts so while they may have been living paycheck to
paycheck. They always have a week and they always had to
have a Cadillac. It would have jewelry cool clothes. Arriving
to the arena that way in style
as a wrestling star and leaving in style but then where you
when no one ever knew and it didn’t really matter but
keeping that perception. It was always important and one
of the lessons that I’ve learned you know that we
showcase in the in the episode. And the series is yes, there’s
value in working the gimmick but I think what you get a
little bit older, you realize you’ve got to look to give up
work for you and that is when you know one of the overall
lessons which was you know I realize. Some time ago that the
most powerful thing I could be is not necessarily work in the
gimmick but just being myself.
>> Yeah, well well, it just founded in string like your dad
didn’t want you to go into it into the business because he
was like some look around look where we live I want more for
you than what I have.
>> But you still want to. I mean just thank you for
bringing that up by the way because this was the one of the
anchoring reason why we had such a complicated
relationship. I was dead set on becoming a professional
wrestler once I felt like my football career was over and
done. They want to continue it and I only had one man that I
could go to the Mets have to help me train me. We have the
biggest case between a father and a son over this and
essentially right he said look around look what I have after
all these years and I want more for you and I said I know,
offer I mean we fought fought fought.
And finally he said. Finally after my mom said let me talk
to let me talk to you has been let me talk to you about how
this whole thing is going to go down.
>> And then he said OK, I’ll trained well I think when you
think about like what your dad was concerned about was not
having enough and I can only imagine like for you as a young
kid and even me it shows itself in the show to me again funny
moments but poignant moments where you actually your
character steals clothes because he wants to impress the
girl, it’s all about having more having enough
and when did you finally feel like you know what I have it I
have enough I I got here.
>> I love that you ask that.
I don’t think I’ve ever felt that and not quite too sure on
us, you know that I ever will so much of my DNA and my
Constitution was actually it derives from
not having
which then motivates the work and you know when we were
living here in Hawaii by the way and again this is also
saying that this is defeated if it is that I’m talking to you
about the show the majority of did take place and why back
here in Hawaii now and and are certainly different different
circumstances. But you know we were evicted off the island,
I was. 14 years old. So that really that really
drove me to want miss. So I’m not too sure of I’ve ever said
I got enough, good. I was a Cub just a couple of days away from
getting evicted so we’ve got to go to work.
>> That’s I love about you when you finally started making
enough money before you even have had home of your own that
you are proud of you decided that you wanted to make sure
that your folks were OK.
>> I did I we were moving moving moving when I was a kid
we only lived in apartments and we lived in efficiencies and we
lived in a trailer parks.
So when I first started making a little bit of money when I
became a pro wrestler wrestling for the wwe
my goal is to buy them their first House and I was able to
do that
by the grace of God in the universe and I bought them
their first House and this was in 1990
9 and then I thought OK now I can buy my first House so by
2000 I moved into my very first House so it was nice way to
bring in you know that that year but yeah, I had to do that
that was one of those things that I was I couldn’t do it any
other way I can buy my first and then let them continue to
live in an apartment. And you know what’s funny is I by that
time.
I was already wwe champion and I was very fortunate enough to
become the youngest wwe champion.
And I was still living in this little part. And my neighbors,
alike you how you sure you want to continue live here like I’m
just keeping a real man
>> by the way you’re constantly giving it away. I mean we must
do a morning boost on you every so every now and with there’s
always another one on Dwayne the rock as you gave you’ll
give a car to somebody you give a house to somebody, your
sister, your friend for many years ago, what is Santa what’s
it all about.
>> I love that. It’s one of my favorite things I always feel
like
that’s one of the best parts of fame. I think for me when you
can.
If back in and
could you know it because you think about it when I was young
I I didn’t have my first car until I was 2425.
Well for ice.
I did buy my first car from a crack in which when I was 15
that doesn’t count. But my first magic car when I was
2425, so it’s like automobiles and homes for me, I know that
that’s the biggest thing that you know that are stressful for
people. So you know I’ve done pretty good and very fortunate
lucky over the years so that’s what about is the surprise.
>> Yeah, well I I want I get I’m so happy you share with us
what your mom think of the sitcom has she seen it.
>> So does she loves it she can get through any of these
episodes without crying because it’s so searing for her when
she watches all these moments that we’re hard and she watches
you know the Times was arrested at a time to get evicted and
we’re here in Hawaii or Bethlehem or anywhere across
the country it always did represent some sort of
struggle. Like how we’re going to make this happen how we’re
going to do this don’t you know how we’re going to hang on to
this apartment. So to watch the struggle moments unfold for
her. On NBC in the sitcom that is still interviews with comedy
that at the end there’s a nice.
There’s a nice lesson that we share that we went through as a
family. I mean it’s it’s so surreal for her and her biggest
thing that she was so we put this whole thing together she
was like she couldn’t believe it she goes. Okay, I got on who
should play me who you should casesis who tell me. I said it
but before you say who has it’s got to be authentic. We want to
make sure that it’s somebody Polynesian Polynesian descent.
Hopefully some more dissent which we did get. She goes.
Yeah, absolutely that’s so important authenticity is so
important that’s why you need jail.
>> We need J lo Jedi yeah, absolutely she can play me
enjoy the way she was so serious that she’s like you’re
friends with her love to do something like that but I think
we’ve come back for season 2, I’m calling Jennifer have your
girl seen it.
I have not yet know their little other than that they
know something’s coming. You know they see they’re
seeing billboards in these ads and things like that. So.
>> The you have a lot of funny videos with your kids one of my
love is when you what we’re in the room, we don’t even see
>> Who was the scene debbie’s bus. And what might it was.
you’re like.
No one. Your wife from the back room know why.
>> I know it’s just it’s the best so I guess that’s how you
stay grounded, and I feel like you have the world at your feet
and when I saw that moment, I felt like I was at home with my
>> That’s life life happens and we live life and especially
when it comes to kids it is kids as you know, and as
parents all around the room. They are the great equalizer to
everything in life when you think you have it all handle.
>> They will legalize that when you think you have the answers
and the lies that okay so top of this sitcom first thing out
of the gate basically you’re doing interview and you’re
asked to run for president so I look they have to go but one of
the rocks ever talked about this night. I knew you and
Oprah talked about being a team I look back you. Michael strain
an interview do you go well, you know door always open is
this is this something that’s even on the horizon or is this
part of the comedy.
>> It’s something that we thought well there’s 2 answers
here, I’ll give you the side the a side was what is the
creative way that we can diffuse me into the show and
have be infused through in the show throughout the show.
And then our creator not stuck on a brilliant brilliant woman
she said well.
What if we said only 3, 2, and you’re actually running for
president.
So OK that’s interesting and then I thought well the
Radisson because I thought well I do want to toy with politics
here during this time.
And she said I think we should it’s fun, but also you know she
says up to you so that I went back home and of course that
doctor Lauren Martin said I think it’s a great idea you
should do it and you know have fun with it she goes not only
that and Lauren said that she goes
go have a drink you to Q and she said because there’s a few
it’s about probably more than a few more.