Black Adam star and WWE legend Dwayne Johnson has built a reputation as one of the most successful actors in Hollywood, starring in numerous blockbuster films over the past decade, such as Fast & Furious and Jumanji: The Next Level.
Johnson has starred in an impressive 19 films this decade, earning the title of the highest-paid actor of 2022. He has earned a reputation for being a reliable and talented actor, and his success has been attributed to his hard work and determination, not to mention his charming persona.
Dwayne Johnson Has Fractured Relationship With Vin Diesel
However, Johnson made headlines when he was asked a difficult question about one of his Fast & Furious co-stars on Watch What Happens Live and chose to ‘plead the fifth’ instead of answering.
The host of the show, Andy Cohen, asked Johnson about his relationship with fellow Fast & Furious actor, Vin Diesel. Johnson had previously taken to Instagram to express his frustrations with Diesel, writing about his “unprofessional” behavior on set.
The tension between Johnson and Diesel began when the actor was filming The Fast and the Furious in 2016. Johnson took to Instagram to call out the “unprofessional” behavior of his male co-stars and referred to some as “candy a**es”. The post went viral and Johnson quickly deleted it, but it had already caused a stir in the industry.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Johnson discussed the incident saying:
“It caused a firestorm. Yet interestingly enough…[it was] as if every single crew member found their way to me and either quietly thanked me or sent me a note. But, yeah, it wasn’t my best day, sharing that. I shouldn’t have shared that. Because at the end of the day, that goes against my DNA. I don’t share things like that. And I take care of that kind of bulls**t away from the public.”
When Diesel was asked about the incident, he said it was a case of “tough love” and that he had to take on that role because he was producing something. He tried to clear the air by saying, “It was a tough character to embody, the Hobbs character. My approach at the time was a lot of tough love to assist in getting that performance where it needed to be.”
Johnson refused to accept the explanation, calling it “bulls**t”.
“One part of me feels like there’s no way I would dignify any of that bulls**t with an answer. But here’s the truth. I’ve been around the block a lot of times. Unlike him, I did not come from the world of theater. And, you know, I came up differently and was raised differently. And I came from a completely different culture and environment. And I go into every project giving it my all. And if I feel that there are some things that need to be squared away and handled and taken care of, then I do it. And it’s just that simple. So when I read that, just like everybody else, I laughed. I laughed hard. We all laughed.”