Dwayne gears up as Tooth Fairy

MANILA, Philippines -Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson may be big and tough, but in the new family film Tooth Fairy, the actor finds himself transformed into a tooth fairy complete with wings and a wand.

He stars as ice hockey player Derek Thompson who has lost faith in himself and in everyone else. A good man at heart but nursing disappointments of his own, he dashes the hopes and dreams of children with discouraging words. As punishment, he is sentenced by Chief Tooth Fairy Julie Andrews to work as one of her minions, which turns out to be harder than he ever imagined. But it’s also a life-changing experience.

In traditional tooth fairy style, his job is to visit homes of children who have lost their baby teeth and placed them under their pillows. In exchange for the tooth, the fairy traditionally leaves money. As the new Tooth Fairy learns the tricks of his new trade, he becomes adept at the job and learns valuable lessons. In the process Derek gets back in touch with his own dreams and goals.

Excerpts from the interview with Dwayne:

Children all over the world will now see you as The Tooth Fairy, is that a big responsibility?

It is, I have to be honest with you. It is a massive responsibility that very few men would ever dare to take on. I’m The Tooth Fairy with wings so I am a man and a half (laughs). It is very exciting for me because I think children everywhere will relate to the story because every culture has its own version of the tooth fairy.  

Did you enjoy making the film?

The experience was phenomenal. The effects were great and sets were built in such an incredible way, because a lot of the scenes required me to be shrunk down to six inches. So there’s a little six-inch tooth fairy running around, being chased by animals, doors almost slamming on him and being walked on and things like that. The sets were built to scale as if I were six inches tall. So you’re looking at a bed that’s a hundred feet tall; it’s really amazing.

Can you talk a little more about Julie Andrews because obviously she’s an icon? You actually hug her in one scene.

Working with Julie Andrews — and hugging her — was really an honor. It was great not only to work with her and become friends with her, but to be in so many scenes together. But meeting Julie far exceeded any expectations I had. She blew me away with her kindness, and she was so sweet. She came to work on time and was always ready to work and put in long hours.

What do you hope audiences get from this film?

Well when I look at a script, whether it’s a comedy, family film, action film or drama, my hope as always is that the audience will go away happy and very entertained. I like the message and story of Tooth Fairy, the power believing in dreams, believing in possibilities and believing in yourself. I think that’s very important for all of us.”

As a dad, how special is it for you now making family films and particularly this one? It must be just perfect for your daughter.

I became a parent eight years ago and as a father you start to realize the importance of family movies. It is great when there’s a good message in there too and everybody is sent home with a smile on his face. As far as my little girl is concerned, it’s great for me as a dad to make movies like this that she can see with her friends. But I choose films for me. If I think that I’m going to have fun doing this and I can own and embrace it, then it’s going to be good for everyone else.

Having achieved your dreams, you are giving back to kids in the community. What are you doing with your foundation?

I’m so proud of The Rock Foundation. I am proud of the lives we’ve been able to impact all around the world. I’m equally proud of the people who work on behalf of The Rock Foundation, who’ve dedicated their lives to improving the lives of children. When I was younger I had a couple people in my own life who saw the potential in me, even when I didn’t see that potential. I was running around trying to stay on the right path, getting arrested constantly, getting into all kinds of trouble. I had parental figures like my football coach in my life who said, “You have potential and you’re not going to waste your life.” I didn’t even see that at the time. Now they’re no longer with us, they’ve since passed away. They are my heroes and now this is my way of giving back and shedding some sunshine and hope into some lives.

Tooth Fairy opens Jan. 22 in theaters nationwide from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.