Dwayne Johnson is set to make history as the highest-paid actor for a single role in an upcoming film.
According to a report from Puck, Dwayne Johnson, better known to WWE fans as The Rock, will receive an astonishing $50 million for his role in Amazon Prime Video’s Christmas action comedy, Red One. This surpasses the previous record of $40 million held by Robert Downey Jr. and Will Smith.
The star-studded cast of Red One includes Chris Evans, JK Simmons, Lucy Liu, Nick Kroll, and more. While the plot of the film remains under wraps, Johnson will portray Commander Callum Drift, with Jake Kasdan directing the project.
In an interview, Chris Evans expressed his excitement about the unusual Christmas movie, stating that it immediately caught his attention. He praised Johnson’s talent and charisma, describing him as an incredible and funny person.
However, amidst all the success and fame, Johnson has confirmed that running for the President of the United States is currently “off the table.” While he had previously expressed interest in the idea back in 2016. Nevertheless, in 2021, Johnson mentioned that he would still consider a presidential bid, and it was revealed that 46 per cent of Americans would vote for him.
What Did Dwayne Johnson Do Before Acting?
Before Dwayne Johnson was known as a Hollywood megastar, featuring in many different blockbuster films, Johnson formerly plied his trade as a professional wrestler for WWE. Known by fans as The Rock, Johnson started his career with the company in 1996, following in the footsteps of his late father, the legendary Rocky Johnson.
Johnson started his career as a fiery babyface under the name Rocky Maivia and quickly won the WWE Intercontinental Championship. However, fans quickly turned on young Rocky and hurled chants of “Die, Rocky, die” and “Rocky sucks” at him.
Johnson suffered a knee injury that put him out of action until August 1997, when he returned with a fresh new heel persona The Rock. With this character change, Johnson’s popularity skyrocketed and he quickly rose to superstardom with legendary feuds with the likes of Stone Cold Steve Austin, Mick Foley and The Undertaker.
Johnson remained a massive star for the company until he departed in 2004 to pursue an acting career, making sporadic appearances over the years for WWE including returning in 2011 for a feud with John Cena that would last until WrestleMania 29 in 2013.