After getting his start as the Scorpion King in Universal Pictures’ The Mummy Returns (2001), The Rock was off to the races in his quest to become one of the biggest stars in the world. The former WWE champion has gone on to star in countless blockbusters, including The Scorpion King (2002), the Jumanji franchise, the Fast & Furious franchise, Get Smart (2008), San Andreas (2015), Disney’s Jungle Cruise (2021), and many others.

 

 

Though his last film, Black Adam (2022), was considered a bomb at the box office that led to him and many others, such as Henry Cavill, being axed from the DC Universe, there are still plenty of opportunities ahead for the actor. Beginning this October, Dwayne Johnson will begin production on Disney’s live-action version of Moana. Though the film won’t see Auliʻi Cravalho reprise her role as Moana, she will work alongside Dwayne Johnson as an Executive Producer on the movie. If that weren’t enough, Dwayne Johnson is also reportedly in talks for a sequel to Netflix’s Red Notice (2021).

There were talks at one point that the actor could potentially serve as the replacement for Johnny Depp in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, but Disney has reportedly moved on from that consideration and will, instead, look at other potential castings.

Though we won’t see Dwayne Johnson replace Johnny Depp (Captain Jack Sparrow), it does seem that the two iconic actors have much in common. Recently, Johnson’s comments went against the typical Hollywood grain. In the comments, Johnson said that “you’ll never lose when you think of the audience first.”

 “My audience-first philosophy has always served me well throughout my career. From wrestling in flea markets for $40bucks per match to headlining WrestleMania to the global scale of Hollywood, to my entrepreneurial achievements and industrial ambitions ~ everything I do is always anchored in putting the audience, the consumer, and the people first. Always take care of the people with quality and a great experience,” Johnson shared.

These comments about putting the “audience first” are very much different than the decisions that many others in Hollywood have made, and show that Johnson is always looking to make going to the movies worth it for his audience. As a matter of fact, these comments have been compared to that of Johnny Depp, who has talked numerous times about wanting to “deliver” for his audience.

“I think it’s an actor’s responsibility to change every time,” Depp said in previous comments. “Not only for himself and the people he’s working with, but for the audience. If you just go out and deliver the same dish every time, it’s meat loaf again, you’d get bored. I’d get bored.”

Even though Depp has reportedly told Disney “no” in terms of returning to Pirates of the Caribbean, he has still pulled out the Captain Jack Sparrow character on a few occasions just for his fans. Dwayne Johnson is also one to take time to interact with his fans.

Though the two are on opposite ends of the spectrums as far as their acceptance in Hollywood goes– Depp is on the outside, and Johnson is as popular as they come in Hollywood ranks– they both recognize that they’ve reached their level of popularity by catering to their audiences and making their fans feel special and important. Such a philosophy is not the norm in Hollywood today.