WWE's Dwayne Johnson Says 'Something More Powerful' Pulled Him To Acting

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson went into his transition from WWE to Hollywood and getting bit by the acting bug. 

It's been decades since The Rock made his movie debut, portraying the Scorpion King in "The Mummy Returns" and then the eponymous spin-off, and he has since featured in franchise blockbusters like "Fast and Furious," comic book movies like "Black Adam," and biopic-dramas like "The Smashing Machine," as well as occasional stops in his old stomping grounds of WWE – also serving as a board member for its parent company, TKO Group Holdings. 

Johnson went into what it was about acting that caught his attention and drew him away from the family business during a sit-down with his peers for "The Hollywood Reporter Actor Roundtable."

"I think it was planned by something more powerful than me," he said. "I believe in the universe. But also I wanted to grow and wanted to challenge myself."

Johnson recalled shooting in Morocco for "The Mummy Returns" while suffering from likely food poisoning. "So I caught that thing and it's 110 degrees. I'm freezing, I'm wearing a blanket. Stephen Sommers comes over, the director, 'Hey, you okay?' I'm like, 'Yeah, I'm okay. Let's do it.' He calls action. We have our scene...When he yelled cut, I went, 'This is what I want to do for the rest of my life.'"

Johnson went further to say that his wrestling career helped to inform his acting work since it was live and that required a higher sense of awareness of self and the crowd response. He likened it to theater, in that it forces one to think on their toes and tune aspects in and out. 

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "The Hollywood Reporter Actor Roundtable," and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.