His latest film, “Black Adam,” showcases The Rock’s unparalleled star power. How did a man with limited acting abilities manage to become one of the most beloved and adored movie stars?
black adamDwayne Johnson aka The Rock’s $195 million budget film, has grossed $325.2 million worldwide in the past three weeks since its release, vastly improving on another recent DC film, The Suicide Squad (2021), which grossed $168 million worldwide. The improvement may have to do with the fact that the box office was largely lackluster in the prelude to Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Foreverwhich will be released on November 11.
Regardless of the film’s commercial success, black adam is likely to officially establish Johnson as Hollywood’s ultimate action superstar, something he’s been toying with forever. The film, in which Johnson plays a DC superhero “with a stone face,” is directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, written by Adam Sztykiel, Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani, and produced by Johnson. Although it received mixed reviews, it will likely be a milestone in the Canadian-American actor’s career.
An eventful life
Johnson, 50, has been named one of the most influential people in the world by TIME magazine not once but twice. It’s really no surprise – open his Wikipedia page, and you’ll see that his life has been nothing short of a movie, which is an understatement for someone who went from being an accomplice to petty crimes. like stealing from one of the highest-paid actors in the world, with courage, hard work and, of course, charm.
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From his youth, which found himself surrounded by conflict and crime, to his football career, after which he ventured into what is known as his “claim to fame” – wrestling professionally, also becoming the WWF’s first third-generation wrestler. , Johnson led a rather eventful life, which is still in the making.
The resounding success he witnessed in the ring catapulted him to stardom, but like any man created for greatness, The Rock was not yet ready to be made, as his illustrious film career followed. saw one blockbuster after another.
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black adam, in which Johnson plays a different kind of superhero – one who kills without shame – is perhaps the greatest film of his career. That’s fine too, after all he’s The Rock (an apt acronym he’s had since his wrestling days), a Herculean megastar who won’t stop until he has the throne all to himself. only.
A mystifying quality at his call
It’s this irony that makes one wonder and wonder about the magnanimity of Dwayne Johnson’s success. It’s not ridiculous to wonder how a man with minimal ability and physique to sell any feeling, apart from outright rage, managed to become one of the most beloved movie stars and the most adored. After all, it’s not every day that a man as big and muscular as The Rock, with little or no acting up his sleeves, becomes a superstar, who does more than just make scrap out of giant buildings.
Johnson, of course, is not an example of undeserved fame, quite the contrary. It’s just that there’s a confusing and mystifying quality to his call. So what makes Dwayne Johnson one of Hollywood’s brightest stars?
For starters, I think it’s his million-dollar smile that juxtaposes his jagged build with a heartwarming tenderness — it’s an irony, living his best life. Sure, he’s got his superhuman physique going for him, but while he’s still his greatest asset, it often limits his ability to credibly portray any normal person.
That said, the epithet “man of steel, with a heart of goldmine” works for him, so much so that even in his most rugged roles, you still have moments that make your heart turn pink. While the bulky body is a boon for action movies, it’s the soft, kind heart that shines through his social media and public interactions, balancing out the intimidating stature, which could have easily landed him as another action star (like Jason Statham perhaps?), rather than becoming an actual movie star, who boasts unparalleled star power, as well as bankability.
His ability to laugh at himself
It also helps that he has a wonderful habit of being able to laugh at himself. It’s a habit that’s reflected not only in his off-screen personality, but also in his cinematic choices. Although most of his films fall into the realm of action or crime, he seizes opportunities in between, to break away from this role of badass par excellence, to adopt a funnier genre or slice of life. Through films like Central Intelligence, Moana (voice role), Baywatch, and Tooth Fairy, Johnson not only cultivated an audience outside of his action-loving fan base, but also cemented his place as a draw. box office, regardless of genre, and critical acclaim. .
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Moreover, this ability to self-parody has allowed people to see him as an accessible icon. His Red Notice co-star, Ryan Renyolds, even went on to say in an interview with Vanity Fair, that “he has an innate ability to always laugh at himself, and that, in itself, is a superpower, you know? It’s always been the thing that I think really lets people in. That self-deprecating humor, along with an intangible sympathy that Johnson carries, makes him one of the warmest people to behold. even on screen.
A complete offer
A recent fan interaction during the red carpet of black adam is only a first and recent example. During the red carpet event, a father was seen giving his baby to Johnson, who lovingly carried the baby girl in his massive arms, causing the internet to melt into a puddle of foam. Now, who doesn’t love a giant superstar, cuddling a tiny baby in his arms? It’s things like these, outside of the realm of movies, that make Johnson who he is today – a star created, loved and revered by the masses. It’s this warmth and candor that separates him from those mundane action heroes revered by young boys and brooding men. If smackdowns appeal to men and charisma to women, then it’s sheer affability that makes him the complete deal, families and kids included.
Dwayne Johnson may not be a good actor and a critic’s favorite, but over the years he has earned a reputation for diligence and discipline, which stands in direct contrast to the bolshie lifestyle of Tinsel Town. . Of course, the reputation is not a myth – you can see the proof of that in his perfectly chiseled body, which rarely deforms.
“The Rock” is Hollywood’s weirdest success story, as an article in The Independent claimed, but what it is, even more, is a beautiful enigma, the kind you don’t want to understand, the kind you can’t understand, because some things are best left a mystery, and Johnson is one of those things. For now, we can only watch black adam and guarantee that even some of the messiest scripts can be salvaged if you have “The Rock” taking the weight off.
Takshi Mehta is a freelance journalist who writes about culture