Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson has spoken candidly about his family life during a press conference for his upcoming movie The Smashing Machine.
In the film, the famous wrestler plays MMA fighter Mark Kerr, and the early critical buzz around it is positive, so it may be worth pencilling in a trip to the cinema when it releases next month.
While The Rock has faced claims that he basically plays himself in his movies, he actually looks very different for The Smashing Machine thanks to the wig and prosthetics he's had to don for the role.
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Considering he's got one of the most recognisable looks in showbiz, his transformation is impressive and away from the silver screen, he's also sporting another aspect of his new look as people spotted a much leaner and trimmer Rock than they're used to seeing.
The Rock reportedly shed about 60lbs for the part, and fans voiced their approval of the new, streamlined Dwayne Johnson, though some joked he should change his name to 'The Pebble' which is a bit silly because he's still pretty darn huge.
Speaking about The Smashing Machine at a press conference, The Rock spoke about his family and said he didn't take any inspiration from his father Rocky Johnson while trying to tap into the 'kind, gentle, tender, empathetic' side of Mark Kerr in the movie.
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The Rock said that he didn't see his father as 'an inspiration in terms of his tenderness' when thinking of what to draw on for his role in The Smashing Machine.
He said: "It wasn't really my dad. He was homeless by the time he was 13, so his capacity for love was very limited, and that's the man that raised me."
Who was Dwayne Johnson's father?
Johnson senior was a professional wrestler himself, going by the name Rocky 'Soulman' Johnson', who became the first black champion in WWE history alongside tag team partner Tony Atlas.
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His birth name was Wayde Douglas Bowles, but changed his name to Rocky Johnson soon after he started his wrestling career in 1964 in honour of the boxers Rocky Marciano and Jack Johnson.
Dwayne Johnson was born in 1972 and his father helped teach him to wrestle, early in The Rock's wrestling career he went by the name 'Rocky Mavia' combining the wrestling names of his father and grandfather.
Rocky Johnson died early in 2020 from a pulmonary embolism.
What has Dwayne Johnson said about his dad?
The Rock has been honest about the difficult relationship he had with his father and the fact that he didn't have a chance to reconcile as they'd had a falling out shortly before Rocky's death.
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In a tribute to his father last year, in which Dwayne shared footage of his dad winning a wrestling belt, he wrote of his 'regret in this life' of not reconciling or being able to say goodbye.
"My regret in this life is that I never had a chance to say goodbye to him, because he died suddenly," the wrestler wrote.
"I regret not reconciling our complicated father/son s**t before I lost him. Raised me with tough fatherly love and an even tougher hand.
"The more I live life, the more grateful I am for it. See you down the road, Soulman."
The Rock has said he was raised 'with a tough and complex love', but stressed there was love.
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He said: "I know a lot of men in my life who never had their father's love at all. Hard to reconcile stuff with your dad when he's no longer here – but nonetheless, regardless of challenges or any struggle, my dad was a 'life adapter', and he taught me to be the same. Work hard and adapt."
The Smashing Machine releases in cinemas on 3 October.
Topics: Dwayne Johnson, Celebrity, TV and Film, Parenting
Joe Harker