Dwayne Johnson may now be known as a standout action hero and, more recently, a bona fide dramatic actor thanks to his role as MMA star Mark Kerr in Crash Machine, but that wasn't always the case.
On his way to Hollywood, Johnson became attached to a string of box office failures or family films that were panned by critics.
For every “Southern Tales” or “Walking Tall” there was a “Race to Witch Mountain,” “The Game Plan” or, heaven forbid, “Tooth Fairy,” a 2010 comedy that currently has a measly 17% on Rotten Tomatoes.
“The truth is that I can look back on that time now with complete clarity: in those days everything was a little hazy. I loved making these films. I also think I implemented them because I don't think I was ready for anything other than light, easy family movies that made me feel good,” Johnson said.
Despite these obstacles along the way, Johnson eventually emerged from film funk with his role as Hobbs in 2011's Fast Five. After that, the roles piled up – several films “Fast and Furious”, “Pain and Gain”, “Jumanji”, “Moana” – before the name became a household name. And to think, everything almost fell apart because of a role that was literally like pulling teeth.
