The Rock
(Photo by Barry King/FilmMagic)

The Rock Talks Early Roadblocks In Acting, Embracing Fans On Social Media, Being Authentic In Hollywood

The Rock was recently featured in an article by the LA Times in promoting his latest film, Moana, which opened in theaters today.

The Rock talks about his career as an actor and how he wants to broaden his scope in terms of the roles he plays; the article also features quotes from manager Dany Garcia and composer Lin-Manuel Miranda. You can read a few highlights below:

The Rock talks about how it was tough to score roles early on in his acting career: 

“When I first got into the business, I didn’t have studios knocking on my door. I couldn’t greenlight anything. So I made a vow and a pact to myself that I was going to understand the business from top to bottom. I’m new to acting, therefore, who are the best coaches? Who are the studio executives I should know so I can understand how the business works on the marketing and publicity side, on the production side? I really wanted to be a sponge and I didn’t give a [damn] if it was overwhelming. Bring it on. I got one shot at this.”

The Rock on using social media to listen to fans and responding to their concerns and questions:

“I’m on everything all day. I’m doing my best. Because here’s the thing. When I was wrestling in flea markets and fairs and used car dealerships in front of 150 people, getting paid $40 a night,  I developed a skill to listen. When those 150 people would respond to something, it was like, ‘Let’s go in that direction more.’ I think developing that has helped me.”

The Rock talks about being himself after he tried to conform to a Hollywood ‘leading man’ image: 

“And then it hit me: I’m not being authentic. I’m really not being me. I like going to the gym. I like driving my pickup truck and maybe I don’t want to live in Hollywood. Maybe I want to live in Florida in the country. Maybe I don’t want to wear a suit. I love wrestling and I love going back and being with the fans even if I don’t wrestle anymore. I’m that guy.”

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