If I said I interviewed Dwayne Johnson, few people would raise an eyebrow. If I said I interviewed Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, you’d know which eyebrow I was talking about. Until now, Johnson mainly has stuck with action films such as “The Rundown” and “Walking Tall.” His new film, “Gridiron Gang,” puts him in unfamiliar territory, playing a correctional officer trying to change the lives of juvenile inmates through football. I sat down with Johnson at the Four Seasons Hotel while he was in town promoting the film. While talking with him, I realized this is the one film of which he is most proud, and it sounded like he really appreciates his role’s potential for helping turn kids around.
“Gridiron Gang” is based on the true story of detention camp probation officer Sean Porter. Johnson’s preparations for the role included studying the 1992 documentary (at the end of the film, you see clips from the documentary and realize Johnson did a dead-on impersonation of Porter). Johnson said Bruce Willis, Nicolas Cage and Sylvester Stallone all had, at one point, expressed interest in playing the real-life Porter. But after 15 years, Dwayne Johnson is the actor who got that chance.
We even got to talk about the University of Iowa (my alma mater). He played football for Miami and they beat the Hawkeyes in 1991. His joke — the greatest thing about Iowa City is leaving — didn’t go over very well. And perhaps, just perhaps, he was a little intimated since I’m a couple inches taller than he is.
Johnson avoids the Hollywood lifestyle as much as possible. He lives down in Davie, Fla., a little country town outside of Ft. Lauderdale. Johnson doesn’t have an entourage, nor does he need one; even though he’s toned down the muscles, he’s still a big man.
But now, on to more serious things, such as Johnson’s childhood, his future projects and his nickname. … Since this may be the last chance I get to interview a “Rock,” that’s how we’ll refer to him from here on out.
Bayer: There were similarities between your childhood and the kids depicted in the film, correct?
The Rock: There were a lot of similarities and parallels. I was one of these kids, so I understand. I was arrested multiple times by the time I was 17. When I was 14, I was fortunate enough, my arrested officer cared enough about me at that time that he said, “I want you to go out and play football for your freshman team.” I went out, begrudgingly by the way; I thought maybe he would take it easier on me next time. I didn’t learn my lesson; it was a work in progress. I continued to get in trouble, but through football, and my high school football coach and parents who really cared about me (I turned it around). If not for that, having someone in my life to invest time, who knows where I would have been? I’m lucky. I’m a lucky guy.
Bayer: In order to film at Camp Kilpatrick, the producer gave a 16-week film class to the inmates. What participation did you have with that?
The Rock: Lee Stanley (a producer on the film) started the program, just as a way to give thanks and give back. Just so you know, Lee Stanley is responsible for making the documentary. He has dedicated his life to helping kids. … My involvement with that was, he would have these classes and I would go in and talk to these kids and talk about the movie business. What the movie business is, what it has become today, what it means to me and how I got involved in it. Then you just stop and open it up. Ask them what they did to get put in here. Then I would tell them what I did. A lot of them were shocked. They are used to seeing a certain person on the screen and this ideology of what success is and to a lot of these kids, they can’t see that far in life. They can’t see tomorrow.
Bayer: At some point, do you hope to be known as Dwayne Johnson?
The Rock: I’m almost positive what’s going to happen is, and it’s happened through the media, where it’s taken a natural progression. For example, my credit is Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson here; in “Southland Tales,” another movie I have coming out, it’s just Dwayne Johnson. I never wanted to come out and say, “From this day forward, I only want to be known as Dwayne Johnson, you have to refer to me as Dwayne Johnson the actor.” It’s just phony, my nickname was “The Rock” and I love that, and that was a part of my life that is very meaningful to me. Now in acting, it’s taken this natural turn. I think what is going to happen is, depending on the movie, it’ll dictate what I am being billed as. If there is some bad-ass action movie out there with a lot of guns, a lot of kicking ass, a lot of comedy, maybe “The Rock.”
Bayer: I know you’re a married man, but what attracts the ladies more? Being a pro wrestler or a movie star?
The Rock: Oh, come on — movie star, hands down.
Bayer: Your next film is “The Game Plan,” where you play a quarterback. Aren’t you too big to be a quarterback? And how does the ruptured Achilles tendon (happened while making the film) compare to other injuries?
The Rock: I’m 225 right now. There are quarterbacks out there right now who are 250-260. Daunte (Culpepper), he’s up there. At one time I was Daunte’s weight, I was up there. That’s why I leaned down a lot, so there you go. Rupturing the Achilles is right up there with tearing everything away from the bone in [the left] shoulder to rupturing three discs in my back and getting shot up every week to play. With [the Achilles], at least I can move, I use the crutches, but I can move. With your back, you rupture three discs in your back, which is like squeezing out jelly out of a jelly donut … glad you find that funny.
Bayer: No, no … I just liked your analogy. You’ve got me thinking about doughnuts now.
The Rock: I got Dunkin’ Donuts up in my room and a Giordano’s Pizza waiting for me that I need to get to. …
And with that, Johnson’s people hurried him off to his next meeting. “Gridiron Gang” comes out Sept. 15. Also being released is Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run, the video game, with a future film to follow in 2007.