The Rock has opened up about his mental health struggles that include bouts with depression that are explored on his TV series Young Rock.
Dwayne Johnson has conquered both WWE and Hollywood as he builds a career and legacy for himself that is unmatched. Going from The Most Electrifying Man In Sports Entertainment to the highest-paid actor in the world, the man wrestling fans know as The Rock is an entrepreneur with a production company and even a whole football league as part of a wide-ranging portfolio of interests.
One of those interests is the hit series Young Rock which follows the early life of Dwayne Johnson and his family who were entrenched in the wrestling business. Ahead of the season two premiere The Rock spoke to E! News’ Francesca Amiker and explained the importance of the show not shying away from showing his mental health struggles:
“The most touching feedback that I consistently received has been our openness to talk about mental health. It was something that I was unfamiliar with when I had my first bout with depression at the end of 1990. I didn’t know what it was. I just felt like, ‘Man, I feel like sh*t. I don’t want to do anything.'”
“I grew up an only child and a dude. Dudes have a tendency to hold this stuff in. And you know, it’s not in our nature to just talk about it because it makes us feel vulnerable. We don’t want to feel vulnerable. It makes us feel weak, we shouldn’t feel weak. We should have our sh*t together. But that’s not life.”
The Rock added that he learned talking was the key to getting “through the sludge of things.” Adding that once he was out of that sludge “that’s where a different life happens for us. That’s where success happens.”
Young Rock season two premieres Tuesday, March 15, at 8/7c on NBC, with episodes streaming the next day on Peacock.