Stallone. Schwarzenegger. Jean Claude Van Damme. Steven Seagal. What happened to America’s larger than life tough guys? A hollow void has occupied the action genre for the last few years, with no real contenders able to step up to the plate. But that has all changed. Whether it’s laying the smack down in the wrestling ring, or giving one of his on screen opponents a need to use his health insurance, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has solidified himself as the world’s next big action hero. The Rock carries himself well. Eating a protein bar which he says tastes like cardboard and offering some to everyone before sitting down, his sense of humor and friendliness are traits that will keep the fans filling the seats for years to come. I had a chance to sit down with The Great One and find out what movies he has in the works and with his new film, what it takes to walk tall.

 

 

With The Scorpion King and The Rundown under his belt, The Rock feels like more roles such as Chris Vaughn is what can help him mature as an actor. “I’m taking small steps to grow as an actor. I mean, what actor wouldn’t want to take this role? It’s a great role. Simple story. An inspiring role. A great true story. A lot of the elements in the movie were kept from the original. I was a very big fan of the original movie. I first saw it when I was eight years old. But then when I was eight, I didn’t really appreciate what it really meant to walk tall. I was just a big fan of this guy who was kicking ass with a two by four. As a kid, that was great.”

 

 

 

 

 

In Walking Tall, the movie centers on a man who takes the law into his own hands. Is there a little bit of Chris Vaughn in The Rock?  “I can relate to the character of Chris Vaughn in a way where you’re forced in a position where you should stand up for yourself. First of all, there were moments in my life, where I could have walked tall and didn’t. I didn’t take that step and I hate living in regret. And then there were moments in my life where I stood up for myself, regardless of the circumstances or the consequences.”

 

 

The Rock chooses his roles as carefully as he can. The 80’s produced perhaps some of the best action and martial arts films which did not rely on special effects. They relied on the will and determination of one person. These types of roles have been pushed aside and have been taken over by computer imagery and Hollywood budgets larger than the income of most 3rd world countries. So why not take the same route as most leading men? “For me, I like looking for a good story. And not only that, I like movies of the old-fashioned era. Movies from the 70’s and early 80’s. Like a Walking Tall. Like a Billy Jack. Clint Eastwood is my favorite actor. Charles Bronson. Steve McQueen. Movies like that where they take time in telling the story. And there’s not action just for the sake of action. The Rundown was like that in its own little comedic way. It was still funny, but at the same time there was that underlying message which was not using guns and being forced in a position towards the end where you absolutely have to. And I’m not too sure when I’ll have the opportunity again to play a role like this.”

 

But was there ever a concern with the way the film can be perceived as glorifying vigilantism? “Honestly, I wasn’t concerned about that because the violence in this is justified violence. If we go back to what really took place forty years ago, where this man was cheated out of his money, and kicked and stomped with steel toe boots to his face and left for dead. And he did go back. In this, it’s all very justified. And there’s still a nice, non politically correct way, I think that’s attractive to the audience today about this movie in that the bad guys get their comeuppance through just old fashioned justice.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With The Rundown having just been released on DVD, and now Walking Tall hitting theaters on April 2nd, The Rock isn’t content to stop there. Later this year, you’ll see him play a gay villain in MGM’s Get Shorty sequel Be Cool. In July, he starts production on Spy Hunter based off of the successful video game from 1983. But first things first. Why a gay villain as his next role? “It’s so funny, because Elmore Leonard wrote it, and in the original draft, Chili Palmer’s character played by John Travolta looks across a room and sees Elliot Wilhelm. A Samoan, thirty, trying to act, can raise one eyebrow. Now I didn’t actually speak to Elmore, but according to those who have spoken to him have said that he wrote that part, not necessarily the gay part mind you, based on The Rock. Never ever thinking that he would play the role. And before you know it, here I am playing the role. And it’s been fantastic. I had a chance to work with John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Harvey Keitel, Vince Vaughn. It’s fantastic. I get to test my sense of comedic timing with really, really good actors and I’ve had a blast. What an opportunity to take a role that you wouldn’t necessarily expect me to play. Being a bad guy, being gay, poking fun at myself and raising my eyebrow to John Travolta. I also had to transform myself with the afro and the goatee. A lot of fun.”

 

And what Spy Hunter details could The Rock possibly share? “I was just upstairs in a meeting where we took out all the concepts and the car. It’s a movie based off of a video game. In the video game you’re a hunter of spies, hence the title. GM is making this amazing car that breaks off into a boat, into a three wheeler, into a motorcycle. It’s really incredible. And the Peter Gunn theme will of course be in it. It’s going to be more of a Mission Impossible – Tom Cruise type role. It is smartly written which is important. There’s also a comedy I’m excited about that I should be working on after Spy Hunter called Skip Tracer. Steve Franks wrote it who wrote Big Daddy and its very, very funny.”

 

But the most electrifying man in film and entertainment didn’t get his millions and millions of fans from just starring in movies. One of the bigger questions on a lot of fans’ minds is, “Is The Rock done with wrestling completely?” “No, not completely. Well, because of the responsibility you have when you take a role like Spy Hunter or like Walking Tall. You have a responsibility to the actors, the studio, to the crew, to the production. To be 100% focused. But I love wrestling. I’ve always said that. That why I went back to Wrestlemania. It was awesome. I had a blast on WWE Raw a few weeks ago because it’s like my theater. A lot of my buddies, I know why they go back to the theater because they go back to get that live interaction. Wrestling is my theater and the ring is my stage. If I have the time, like from when I was done with Be Cool to the time I started promoting Walking Tall, I had a two and a half week window, where I can go back and have fun. Selfishly I can have fun and help out the company. Because the business has been really good to me. And for those wondering, yes. The tattoo is done. ”

 

 

As you can see, The Rock certainly has his plate full for the next few months. He’s taken the action hero torch passed on to him from Arnold and Stallone and has become not only a wrestling, but a movie superstar the world over with no signs of slowing down. I think Christopher Walken said it best in The Rundown:

 

“You’ve got the moves. I’ll give you that.”

 

 

Walking Tall hits theaters April 2nd.