‘The Name On My Birth Certificate Is Actually “The ‘Dwayne Johnson’ Rock,” But People Always Get It Mixed Up’: 5 Questions With Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson

Dwayne Johnson is unstoppable. From WWE championships to the box office, the wrestler turned actor has dominated every arena in which he’s competed so far, and if the rumors are true, the world of politics may be next. We sat down with Dwayne Johnson to discuss fatherhood, fitness, and his alleged political ambitions.

1. You’ve accomplished so much in your career, yet you’re still working harder than anyone else in Hollywood right now. What’s driven you to succeed over the years?

My goal was always to become both strong and famous enough that if I were to try to lift Louie Anderson up over my head, people would see us and say, “Look at The Rock picking up that big blond man. That’s nice of him,” instead of, “That pathetic nobody is not strong enough to pick up Louie Anderson.” In order to accomplish this, I first needed to be strong enough to lift Louie Anderson over my head, but I also needed to be famous enough that onlookers would be too distracted by my presence to notice I’m with Emmy-winning comedian and actor Louie Anderson. Suffice it to say, it’s been a long, long road getting to where I am now.

2. How did you come up with the nickname “The Rock”?

My birth name is actually The Rock, and “Dwayne Johnson” is my nickname. People always mix it up, but I prefer to be called The “Dwayne Johnson” Rock in that order. Both “The” and “Rock” are family names that have been passed down for generations, whereas I just thought that “Dwayne Johnson” sounded right and started going by that when I began wrestling.

3. You were a wrestling champion before you were a film actor. How do you think your wrestling experience has impacted your acting career?

Well, for one thing, I know exactly how thick Hulk Hogan’s neck is. And I think that’s made my acting career much more difficult, because every time a scene calls for me to strangle someone, I automatically widen my hands to the exact girth of Hulk Hogan’s neck. And that’s not always the correct size of neck as described in the script.

4. How long do you plan to stay involved in the Fast & Furious franchise?

As long as I can. Every day I live in fear of the time when self-driving cars gain the ability to jump a drawbridge, or haul ass backwards down a parking garage at 60 mph. When that day arrives, they won’t need me to star in any more movies. Self-driving cars are killing the Fast & Furious industry. Hell, even Vin Diesel has started taking coding classes so he’ll be ready for when he gets automated out of his job.

5. You’ve dropped a few hints that you might run for president in 2020. What would your message be if you did?

I think that working people in this country are tired. They’re tired of constantly ripping their T-shirts whenever they flex their 20-inch biceps. They’re sick of having to eat 14 pounds of cod per day just to maintain their incredible 4 percent body fat, and I think they’re fed up with a system that doesn’t respect the tremendous work they’ve done recently to define their traps and lats. It’s time for a change.