Dwayne Johnson, the new Schwarzenegger
At 46, The Rock dreams of getting into politics. In the meantime, he goes on to perform man-of-action roles in American blockbusters like "Skyscraper," in theaters Wednesday.
His agenda is full until 2020, or even 2021. But afterwards, he excludes nothing. As he explained to the American magazine Variety: “I consider running for this election 100%. It is therefore perhaps in the presidential election of 2024 that Dwayne Johnson, nicknamed The Rock, is considering running as a candidate in his country, the United States. And he drives home the point: “It's a real possibility. I am currently in a position where I can have an influence. "
Judging by his box office results, he's not wrong. Admittedly, his last film, "Rampage", did not really make sparks on the other side of the Atlantic (99 million dollars of receipts for a budget of 120 million dollars). But “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” had grossed $ 404.5 million, and close to a billion worldwide. A sum exceeded for "Fast and Furious 8". And we're only talking about 2017 and early 2018 ...
In France too, the actor is very popular. The sequel to "Jumanji" drew 3.4 million viewers in theaters last year. "Skyscraper", which comes out Wednesday, is projected on a large combination of 620 screens.
Humble beginnings in cinema
Not bad for this 46-year-old former wrestler who, like Arnold Schwarzenegger before him, first played Monsieur Muscles for a long time before getting to grips with the 7th Art. And just like the interpreter of "Terminator", Johnson reigned during his years at the peak of his specialty.
Even if his father and grandfather had already had great careers in the rings, he only saw them at first, forced and forced, after injuring his shoulder while he was planning, seeing his template - 1.96 m for 120 kg-, a career in American football. A thwarted fate, but which still allowed him to win countless trophies in the various World Wrestling Championships.
As the new millennium approaches, The Rock, the nickname he has adopted for his fights, sets himself a new challenge: come and tickle the big arms of Hollywood: Stallone, Bruce Willis, Schwarzenegger. The beginnings are modest, with a first appearance in front of a camera in 1999, for a small role in the series "That '70s Show".
Large productions specialist
But it was from 2001 that his career as an actor really began. He so impresses the producers of the blockbuster "Return of the Mummy", where he plays second knives, that they offer him the main role, the following year, of a derivative film, "the Scorpion King". Clever, Johnson makes sure that his character, originally a villain, is here a good one, who sets the example. The box office was not particularly carried away, but the film was successful, and Johnson's career was launched.
Since then, the ex-athlete has specialized in large productions, action or family, at the rate of two or three per year, highlighting his muscles as much as his self-mockery. His artistic choices are not always the happiest like the disaster “Baywatch: alert to Malibu”, disastrous adaptation of the television series.
