We Want Answers: The Rock

Sly?s in decline, Jean-Claude?s a joke, and Arnold?s got himself a desk job. Meet the man who?s picking up the action slack. He?s The Rock, the people?s movie star.

Maxim, April 2004

By Paul Semel

So what should we call you? Mr. Rock? The? Dwayne Johnson? Sir?
Big Daddy.

How often do people make jokes about your Johnson being a Rock?
Pretty often. And then they ask for proof.

Whoa, slow down. You were always asking people if they could smell what you were cooking. Can you actually cook?
I am the worst cook. But I can make a hell of an omelet. [See sidebar.]

So where did that line come from?
I was doing an interview with, of all people, Gennifer Flowers. She was asking me about some court case going on at that time, and I said to her, ?If I was the judge and the jury, nine times out of 10 it would be a hung jury?if you smell what The Rock is cooking.? I have no idea where it came from.

Your father and grandfather were professional wrestlers. Is your two-year-old daughter ready to accept her destiny?
We had a very philosophical conversation about that the other day, and I asked her, ?How do you feel, knowing that you?re going to get in the entertainment field one day?? And she so eloquently said, ?Daddy, poo-poo.?

Have you taught her any moves yet?
The only move she knows is to point at something she wants. And my move is to say, ?OK,? then act tough in front of everybody else.

You?re starring in the remake of Walking Tall. Were you a fan of the original?
That was the main reason I did it. Walking Tall is one of my favorite movies, no bullshit. The idea of taking the law into your own hands is something that?s always appealed to me. But I was arrested seven times before I was 18, so there were people who probably wanted to take the law into their own hands with me.

Were you worried about filling Joe Don Baker?s beer gut?
I wasn?t, because I don?t drink beer. I drink whiskey. Although I do know a lot of fat-ass whiskey drinkers. And the men are worse.

Ever hurt anyone making a movie?
Yeah. In The Scorpion King, the tip of my elbow caught Michael Clarke Duncan in the jaw and knocked him down. And in The Rundown I put a three-inch gash into Seann William Scott?s forearm. But he asked for it. I told him I wanted a ham sandwich with no cheese, and he brought me one with cheese. I don?t bullshit around when it comes to food.

Who in Hollywood would you most like to go toe-to-toe with on-screen?
Russell Crowe, hands-down. He?s an amazing actor, a good guy, and he can whup ass when he has to.

Have you ever used a wrestling move during a romantic moment?
Hell, yeah! How do you think I mastered the sleeper hold?

How do wrestling fans compare to fans of other sports?
Wrestling fans are unbelievably vocal and loyal, which is the part I always loved about wrestling. It wasn?t necessarily whuppin? someone?s candy ass in the ring, but the connection you get with the fans.

What?s the best and worst reaction you?ve ever gotten from them?
When I was wrestling, the best reaction was when 60,000 people in the Houston Astrodome during Wrestlemania went absolutely crazy. The opposite of that was my first match. It was in Corpus Christi, Texas, and when I was introduced there was this moment when everyone was quiet, and I heard one fan yell, ?You fucking suck!?

You went to a party school, the University of Miami. What?s your best drinking story?
One night me and two of my boys decided to squeeze our big asses into a closet while our other roommate was doing the horizontal hula with his girl, and, at the perfect time, we came barreling out of there. She was so pissed that, as we were running away, she threw a beer bottle that hit my friend in the back of the head and knocked him out. But me and the other guy kept running.

On Saturday Night Live, you did a skit as Superman. Have you been approached for the movie?
The question did start to arise after they saw it, but I think it would be hard to pull off a half-Samoan, half-black Clark Kent.

There?s also been talk about you taking over for Arnie as the Terminator.
There was, and there was talk about the Predator franchise. But because they?re franchises, I would never touch them. Arnold?s a good friend of mine, and he built those movies. I?d rather build my own.

In The Rundown he had a cameo that some saw as his passing the torch to you. Did you see it that way?
I didn?t see it like that at all until someone else pointed that out. I was just happy that he agreed to do it. He came over to have lunch one day, and the director, Peter Berg, asked him if he wanted to be in the movie. It was only when the movie was released that anyone pointed it out. Though when the press went to him, Arnold said, ?That?s exactly what I was going for.?

One of your next movies, Spy Hunter, is based on a video game. Ever played it?
Yeah, it was one of my favorite games on ColecoVision. That, Donkey Kong, and Rocky. I used to play the wrestling games all the time as well, but I don?t play much anymore, because I keep getting my ass kicked by the computer. When you get your ass kicked in a wrestling game and you?re playing as yourself, it?s tough on the ego.

What would people be surprised to know about you?
Aside from the corduroy G-strings I wear backward? No, the truth is that people who know me know I?m a sensitive guy. I always put the toilet seat back down.

The Rock?s Whiskey Biscuit Omelet
INGREDIENTS:
10 egg whites
1 whole egg
1 chicken breast
Feta cheese
Sliced onion
Salt
Pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:
?Cut the chicken into cubes and then grill it. Then mix together the eggs, the chicken, the onion (after it?s been sliced), salt, and pepper, and put them in the pan on medium high?but use Pam, not butter. Let the whole thing cook a bit, then add the feta cheese for taste. I usually let it cook a little while, but I?m the consummate chef. [laughs] Other people, you know, might do it a little bit differently.?