Still on a Roll

Forget The Rock. Just call him Dwayne Johnson, his real name.

No, Dwayne didn’t “kill” The Rock when he retired from wrestling a few years ago to concentrate on acting. Well, not in the way Rustom Padilla “killed” Rustom Padilla and resurrected in the body of Bebe Gandanghari.

In fact, Dwayne has even named his foundation after his wrestling monicker, The Rock, so-called because he was as solid as a rock.

During this Conversation, I and the two dozen other Asian journalists were reminded not to ask Dwayne anything about wrestling and just to focus on his latest movie, Race to Witch Mountain, produced by Walt Disney Pictures (opening on Wednesday, March 13, across the Philippines) and directed by Andy Fickman (who also directed Dwayne in The Game Plan).

The interviews were done at the Disneyland Hotel in Hong Kong, a fitting venue because, besides Witch Mountain being a Disney flick (based on Alexander Key’s Escape to Witch Mountain which was made into the 1975 Disney classic of the same title) it is a movie for the young and the young-at-heart.

In the movie, Dwayne plays Jack Bruno, a hard-luck Las Vegas cab driver whose life is thrown into chaos when “runaway” teenagers (played by AnnaSophia Robb and Alexander Ludwig) jump into his taxi. Jack soon realizes that the teeners have exceptional paranormal powers whom she must protect from pursuing ruthless enemies. When they discover that the only chance to save the world lies in unraveling the secrets of Witch Mountain, the race begins as the government, mobsters and even extra-terrestrials try to stop them.

It’s Conversations’ fourth close encounter with The Rock, er, Dwayne Johnson. The first was a few years ago for Scorpion King (in Hollywood), followed by Rundown (also in Hollywood) and The Game Plan (in Singapore, 2007). Little wonder that Dwayne now calls your Conversationalist, ehem, by my first name.

Your character in Witch Mountain, Jack Bruno, is skeptical about UFOs and creatures from Outer Space. Are you?

“Personally, I believe that there’s life out there. Jack Bruno is very skeptical because he hasn’t seen a UFO, he believes only in what he sees. But I don’t have to see UFOs to believe in them.”

You are now more natural and more comfortable as an actor. What’s the secret, the “formula”?

“No, I don’t think there’s any secret to that. I’ve just been very lucky. Neither is there any ‘formula.’ There’s just a couple of standards — you know, you shouldn’t think that you cannot make mistakes and you should check your ego at the door. I also think that what’s important is to try and find good material. I’ve been really fortunate to have good material come my way and to make that material better by working with a good director and good actors. It’s luck mixed with hard work and discipline.”

I notice that you work beautifully with child actors (as you did in Game Plan). Are you more comfortable with child actors than with adult actors?

“You know, I enjoy working with children as much as I enjoy working with adults. I love acting and the entire process of movie-making. I’ve had the opportunity to work with child actors as well as with adult actors. I love actors, period. But there’s a great challenge in working with child actors in terms of the time you are allowed to work with them, which is very limited, so you have to plan your day around their schedule.”

You have such fondness for children who are the beneficiaries of your The Rock Foundation. Why children?

“I just believe that it’s important to give back. When I was younger, I struggled to stay in the right path, I struggled a lot to do the right thing. I got into trouble a lot but I was fortunate to have adult figures in my life who cared enough to guide me and to see the potential in me, which I didn’t see. Now that I am in a position to, I am giving back. I want to help create better lives for these children.”

Does your being an only child have anything to do with it?

“Well, you know I could. I’m not too sure how many markers in my life I have to clear because I am an only child but, come to think of it, probably so. I’m fortunate and lucky to become successful, and, as I’ve said, I believe in giving back, especially to kids who are in the same situation as I was as a kid.”

You were in the Philippines a few years ago before you retired from wrestling. Any memories from that visit?

“Oh, it was incredible! We talked about that all the time. I’ve been to several countries which are extra-ordinary but my visit to the Philippines was unbelievable; I will never forget that. There were probably 15,000 to 20,000 people at the arena and they gave me great energy. I learned that Filipinos are big fans of wrestling.”

Which is harder, being a wrestler or being an actor, as far as discipline is concerned?

“Well, I think you must have great discipline to be in both. It’s incredibly hard to make it in wrestling and extremely difficult to make it in movies, too. They both have the challenges and great rewards, too. Being a full-time wrestler for six years created a lot of opportunities for me. For example, being able to wrestle in venues from the one in the Philippines to the Madison Square Garden to the Houston Astrodome. The good thing about acting is that you never stop learning; there’s always something to learn. We see great actors like Morgan Freeman and Clint Eastwood who continue to learn and I admire those guys.”

Aside from Freeman and Eastwood, who are the other actors you look up to?

“By the way, I admire Clint a lot because the great thing about him...and I always mention this as a fact...is that Clint in his day was such a powerful leading man who was dripping with testosterone. He was very self-deprecating, he knew how to land a joke as well as he landed a beautiful punch. Other actors I admire are Denzel Washington and Daniel Day-Lewis. This is a wonderful business to be in, especially if you are able to work with great actors.”

How do you take care of your body?

“Training every day has become my anchor. I do a lot of cardio exercises. Any physical activity is important to me to anchor my day. I have a very ‘clean’ diet. There’s not much fried food. But I do take time out to enjoy good food. Or it doesn’t harm to have slices of pizza every now and then.”

What part of your body is your favorite?

“Oh, what an interesting question! Let me think...I would say probably my mouth because that’s where the food goes into, way directly to my heart.” (Laughs)

You are single again (with a seven-year-old daughter). Are you seeing someone right now?

“Dating, yes. I’ve been seeing a wonderful girl.”

What qualities do you want in a woman?

“Sense of self, independence and sense of humor. The drive to be better and to excel in whatever she does. I appreciate that in a woman.”

You’ve been compared to California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Do you have any political plans?

“I think that everybody has a great deal of interest in politics, so I’m not ruling it out, but no time soon. I’ve been friends with Arnold for a long time and I think he’s doing a great job in California. When I made my transition from wrestling to movies, he was so welcoming and supportive, and I will always be grateful for that.”

Any real-life character you want to portray in a movie, maybe US Pres. Barack Obama?

“Possibly, possibly! You know, that’s the big challenge of impersonating someone in a movie and becoming someone in a movie who is real. The challenge lies in being truthful and honest because the person you’re portraying is living. There’s the same challenge in portraying somebody who is dead, like I did in Walking Tall, because it’s important that you have to give justice to him.”

You are part-Samoan and Pres. Obama is part-Kenyan. Aside from color of skin, what else about him do you identify with?

“I had the opportunity to speak with Pres. Obama and he’s really a wonderful guy with a wonderful family. I think what I can identify with him is that he embraces the great responsibility of being a great leader. One thing that, I think, we can expect is that he’s going to make mistakes as we all do and he’s bound to stumble along the way but at the same time he will stand up as great leaders do. And that, I think, is what we will see in Pres. Obama.”

Do you feel the effects of the recession like ordinary mortals do? How do you deal with them?

“Hollywood is very interesting. At this point, the entertainment industry has been somewhat resistant. I think we in the industry have been very fortunate to be in an industry that is doing very well, considering the times. We do our small part in making things a bit easier by providing good entertainment, by making good movies.”

(E-mail reactions at [email protected] or at [email protected])