Young Rock (TV Series)

Working the Gimmick (2021)

Dwayne Johnson: Dwayne Johnson

Photos 

Quotes 

• Dwayne Johnson : So, I'm gonna get real. And the real is, working the gimmick led to me doing some pretty bad shit.

  [the curse word is bleeped] 

  Dwayne Johnson : I'm sorry, Randall, can I say that?

  Randall Park : It's not very presidential, but fuck it.

  [the profanity is bleeped] 

  Dwayne Johnson : That's my guy. You know, back then, I wanted people to see me in a certain way, and I did whatever I had to to make that happen.

  [flashback to him stealing from a clothing store in 1987] 

  Dwayne Johnson : Was it wrong? Yeah, it was wrong. But, honestly, who among us hasn't done a little five-finger boost, huh?

  Randall Park : Right. Or a little credit card fraud.

• Randall Park : Gosh, I wasn't expecting to care about Waffle so much.

  Dwayne Johnson : I know, right? Every time I pass a Waffle House, I always kiss my fingers and point to the sky.

  [doing so] 

  Dwayne Johnson : That's for you, Waffle.

  Randall Park : And you kept the promise you made to your mom. I, uh, believe we have a picture of one of the cars you gave her.

  Dwayne Johnson : [chuckling as the pictures are shown]  Mama Rock. She just loves her red Caddies.

  Randall Park : I need to call my mom. Last time I talked to her was... 30 years ago.

  Dwayne Johnson : Oh, wow.

  Randall Park : Yeah.

  [awkward silence] 

  Randall Park : Now, was it at this point in your life when you decided to stop working the gimmick?

  Dwayne Johnson : The truth is, I've never stopped working the gimmick. I've just learned to make the gimmick work for me. I started figuring it out when I got to the University of Miami.

  Randall Park : Oh, you were there on a football scholarship, a five-star recruit coming out of high school.

  Dwayne Johnson : And I was fired up, because in 1990, the U wasn't just a football team. We were a movement. Three national titles under three different head coaches in the '80s. An incubator for future stars. You know, the 'Canes became legends for the joy they played with and, of course, that swagger, baby. When I got to Miami, I just wanted to fit in. I had no intention of working the gimmick. I was just gonna keep my head down and grind.

• Randall Park : Good evening, I'm Randall Park. The primaries are over and the nominees for the 2032 presidential race are set. And one name... you may have heard before. Candidate Dwayne Johnson has wasted no time hitting the campaign trail with his No Muss, No Fuss bus tour, traveling cross-country to talk to American voters. And show that he's one of them. But that level of fame also has its downside. Dwayne Johnson's success is being used against him by his critics. They say he's lived the cushy Hollywood life for so long, he can't relate to the struggles of the average American.

  Dwayne Johnson : [in a sit-down interview]  Randall, that couldn't be further from the truth. I have had one hell of a life, but I wasn't born into it. I've had to work very hard for everything that's come my way. There's still so much that I have to share with the world.

  Randall Park : Hmm, I'm surprised to hear you say that because you're such an open person.

  Dwayne Johnson : Well, I try to be as open and as real as I can. For example, people don't know that every time I open the fridge, I still gotta... you know.

  Randall Park : Can you do it?

  Dwayne Johnson : You want me to do it?

  Randall Park : I'm begging you to do it.

  Dwayne Johnson : Are the people ready?

  Randall Park : They are not ready, but they need to see it.

  Dwayne Johnson : Well, every time I open the fridge, I gotta say, "Can you telllll... ."

  [cut to him opening his fridge] 

  Dwayne Johnson : ..."llll that the Rock is hungry?"

  [finding something to eat] 

  Dwayne Johnson : Oh, yeah.

  Randall Park : I do that, too.

  Dwayne Johnson : You're a wild man. So, as you can see, Randall, there's still so much that I haven't told anyone. Stories about my life that I haven't been ready to share until now.

  Randall Park : You can't tell because I used to be an actor, so I'm skilled at hiding my emotions, but I'm on the edge of my seat.

  Dwayne Johnson : I can tell. You're a hell of an actor.

• Dwayne Johnson : [recounting a story from college]  That's when I found my version of working the gimmick. Be me, but with the dial turned up to 11. So that's who I was every time I flashed the People's Eyebrow. That's who I was when I threw Ludacris off a bridge in "Jumanji 5", and that's who I was when I played Gene Simmons in that Kiss biopic.

  Randall Park : But, Dwayne, I have to ask. Wouldn't it have been easier to just tell your teammates that your dad made that whole Wheaties thing up?

  Dwayne Johnson : Yeah, of course it would have been easier, but I couldn't do that, Randall. That's my dad. The truth is, in his way, he pushed me to do things I never would have done.

  Randall Park : Well, can you give us some more details? Like, how did you get from Hawaii to Pennsylvania? Did you ever know Waffle's last name? When did you start playing football?

  Dwayne Johnson : I'm gonna tell you all of that, Randall, and much more. And, look, once people hear these stories about my life and my family, they're gonna see how much we actually all have in common.

  Randall Park : I can't wait.

  Dwayne Johnson : That's right. Oh, and I've got some pretty cool stories about Andre the Giant.

• Dwayne Johnson : You know, Randall, to understand me, you gotta understand where I came from. I was born into a wrestling family.

  Randall Park : Your dad was wrestling superstar Rocky Johnson.

  Dwayne Johnson : The "Soul Man" Rocky Johnson. That was him. My mother's father was the legendary Samoan wrestler, "High Chief" Peter Maivia. Wrestling is in my blood. You know, being a kid growing up in the world of professional wrestling, I learned a lot of stuff very early on in life. But at the same time, I was also just a regular little boy. And I idolized my dad.