Dwayne Johnson opens up about ‘complicated, tough’ relationship with father
Johnson is promoting his new NBC sitcom based on his upbringing, 'Young Rock'
During a recent press tour, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson opened up about the “complicated, tough” relationship with his father.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s new NBC sitcom, Young Rock, is set to follow the star’s upbringing and follow his path to superstardom. While promoting his new series, Johnson revealed some interesting information on his relationship with his father and how he thinks he would feel about the show.
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During a press tour, Johnson opened up about the development of his series, explaining, “Growing up, and you know we specifically went with these timelines in my life that were very defining times at 10 years old, 15 and 18…there’s a lot of things in between those years that took place…but it was complicated and the relationship that I had with my dad was incredibly complicated — that was fueled by tough love.”
The star goes on to reveal, “My dad was kicked out of his house at 13 and he was homeless, so that then shaped the man who then raised me…and in that complication came an extraordinary life that was full of travel. I lived in 13 different states by the time I was 13 years old, also lived in New Zealand.”
Johnson’s father, Rocky ‘Soul Man’ Johnson, passed away in January 2020 at the age of 75. Rocky Johnson was a Canadian professional wrestler and Hall of Fame inductee. He and his partner, Tony Atlas, made history as part of the first black world tag-team champions in 1983.
When his father passed, Johnson took to Instagram to share footage of him as a young boy watching his father compete in the ring. He paired the sweet memory with a lengthy emotional caption, expressing his unconditional love for his idol.
“I love you. You broke color barriers, became a ring legend and trail blazed your way thru this world. I was the boy sitting in the seats, watching and adoring you, my hero from afar. The boy you raised to always be proud of our cultures and proud of who and what I am. The boy you raised with the toughest of love,” he wrote in the caption.
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Johnson insists his father would have loved his new series, explaining, “He would have loved this, he would have loved this and he would have been so proud because for the first time, certainly, in prime time, we are showcasing this world, that he and all of his brothers of the rings, so to speak, of those men in the ’70s and the ’80s that they gave their life to.”
You can watch the new trailer for Young Rock on NBC below:
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