Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson returned to the professional wrestling ring after an extended stay in Hollywood. Johnson, who got physical in Wrestlemania XXVII in Atlanta recently, is now back on the big screen in Fast Five. It’s the second driving action movie in a row for the former WWE Champion, following Faster. And even his action turn in Will Farrell’s The Other Guys involved some driving sequences through New York City.
While other WWE superstars like Steve Austin and John Cena have had more misses than hits on the big screen, Johnson easily transitioned into a Hollywood action star. After a string of box office hits like The Mummy Returns, The Scorpion King, and Walking Tall aimed at the core male wrestling audience, Johnson became the go-to guy for more family-friendly fare in a string of movies like Planet 51, Tooth Fairy, Race to Witch Mountain, Get Smart, and The Game Plan. When Johnson has off time on the set or at home, he’s likely playing Madden on Xbox 360. The wrestler-turned-Hollywood action star talks about his love of games in this exclusive interview.
What was the transition like for you from WWE to Hollywood?
Johnson: Transition was pretty difficult for me — I grew up in that world of wrestling; my grandfather, my dad and uncle all wrestled. And I loved every minute of it. That was always awesome for me. When I got into acting, I realized I wanted to become a good actor and I had to commit myself. That’s why I quietly retired from wrestling. I had accomplished everything I wanted to do. The last guy I wrestled was Brock Lesnar. He beat me; that’s why we know it’s not real. The transition was one that I knew was going to take a lot of time, effort and commitment.
You’re a Legend now in THQ’s new WWE All-Stars game. What’s it like to see yourself in those games?
Oh yeah, I’ve been in a ton of them. It never gets old to me, whether it’s seeing myself in a video game or as an action figure or on a movie poster or in a movie trailer — it never ever gets old or lost on me. I think that’s cool, man, especially with video games. I remember with THQ, they were highly innovative back in the day, and the movement was really fluid and it was cool to be a part of that and see myself then. And now, too, especially with the new games, the details are fantastic and I really appreciate it. At one point they had to ban video games backstage at the WWE because guys were playing too much and almost missing their cues to go into the ring.
How do you choose a movie role these days?
I look at whether the movie’s going to be fun and [if] we have the opportunity to entertain a lot of people — whether it’s an action more or a family movie. Growing up, I struggled for a long time to stay on the right path, and I made a lot of mistakes. I was lucky to have adults to keep me on the right track. I’m a good illustration and example that no dream is to big and not letting your environment dictate your future.
What video games did you play back in the day?
Pong, Atari 2600, Colecovision and Intellivision. I just remember that as I got older, my taste in video games began to change. It went from arcades to home gaming systems. Very specifically, though, what hooked me for a long period of time was [NES football game] Tecmo Super Bowl.
Who was your team?
I was the Giants. Stephen Baker, touchdown maker every time. Phil Simms to Stephen Baker. That game hooked me for a long time, and of course you play with your buddies. Then when I got to college with Warren Sapp and Ray Lewis, we would play Madden like crack addicts. You know how it was back in the day when Madden came out? You had your ’85 Bears and ’72 Redskins. They were unstoppable.
I’m always prepared. I have an Xbox 360 set up in my movie trailer. I have one set up in my theater at home. Everywhere you can put one, I have one set up. Because you never know when you’re going to get the time to play. I love gaming.
What modern games do you like to play when you have some free time?
Football’s the go-to, because time is of the essence … you can jump in and play a game any time. I have a ton of games. They’re sending me games all the time, but most of them are still wrapped. It’s funny, because the Madden games are the only ones never wrapped. Madden is like the go-to game. It’s like the go-to pair of jeans that you have.
What do you think of what EA Sports does with Madden today?
The graphics have improved drastically. And with the new consoles that come out, always trying to better the last, and always taking on those challenges, the games continue to advance technologically speaking, which is great.
Having been in Doom, what are your thoughts on video games being turned into movies?
A lot of times, the successful video game doesn’t always equate to a successful movie. I think there are some video game movies out there that were made that were good, some not so good, some that were pretty damn good, and some that are coming out that I anticipate will be great.
And if there’s a way that you can capture that on screen with a great writer, a great director, and some great actors on board, then you really have a shot of doing something special.
Source: gameworldme.net
