The former wrestling superstar and reigning badass has become one of Hollywood’s most bankable leading men, building an empire that stretches from blockbuster films to business ventures in fitness, spirits, and more. This summer, he’s slipping into a 40-pound prosthetic muscle suit and a traditional leaf skirt to bring the legendary demigod Maui to life in Disney’s live-action Moana.

BY WILL HARRIS

Plenty of athletes have successfully made the leap from sports to the silver screen, and even a handful of wrestlers have pulled it off, but few, if any, are in the same league as Dwayne Johnson. Yes, John Cena and Dave Bautista are hot on his heels and may one day reach the same heights as the wrestler formerly known as “The Rock.” For now, however, Johnson has been a Hollywood fixture for so long that he has an entire generation of fans who know him only as a movie star – a remarkable testament to both his longevity and star power.

Although he started his athletic career with an eye on professional football, even securing a spot on the University of Miami’s 1991 national championship team, his playing career never gained lasting traction. So, in 1996, he turned to his father – the legendary Rocky Johnson – to help him score a WWF contract. While some may have chalked up his early success to his famous last name, Johnson quickly proved his mettle, spending eight years in the WWF, during which time he also secured his first film role: Mathayus of Akkad, aka the Scorpion King, in 2001’s The Mummy Returns. “Nepo baby?” Not a chance.

“We were shooting in Morocco in the Sahara Desert, and I was so sick ‘cause I went over there, and I probably ate something I shouldn’t have eaten,” Johnson said during The Hollywood Reporter’s 2026 Actor Roundtable. “So I caught that thing, and it’s 110°. I’m freezing. I’m wearing a blanket. [Director] Stephen Sommers comes over and asks, ‘Hey, you okay?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m okay. Let’s do it.’ He calls action. We have our scene. And I had never acted before, but he called action. And when he says cut, we hear the, ‘Oh, you got bit by the acting bug, the thing that happens.’ When he yelled cut, I went, ‘This is what I want to do for the rest of my life.’”

The first step: managing to secure his own spinoff film, The Scorpion King, a gig that put him in the Guinness Book of World Records for scoring the highest-ever salary for a first-time leading man: $5.5 million.

From there, however, Johnson’s acting career wasn’t exactly a path of non-stop box office success. Yes, he pulled a number of high-profile films straight out of the gate, including The Rundown, Walking Tall, and Doom. He mixed things up by taking supporting roles in diverse films like Be Cool, Southland Tales, and Get Smart. He did sports movies (Gridiron Gang), Disney films (Race to Witch Mountain), family-friendly fare (Tooth Fairy), and buddy comedies (The Other Guys).

Ultimately, though, it was joining the Fast & Furious franchise with 2011’s Fast Five that really began to show what he could bring to the box office. That breakthrough led to bigger starring roles in films like Hercules and San Andreas, a winning pairing with Kevin Hart in Central Intelligence, and the chance to voice the legendary demigod Maui in Disney’s 2016 animated smash hit Moana.

“The biggest challenge… (was) making sure that the words I spoke had life and the correct energy and the correct temperament, tone, intonation, pitch, and things like that,” Johnson said in a 2016 interview with See Mom Click. “It was a real fascinating experience for me. I think that there’s a part of Maui that I can appreciate, because it’s my DNA. I share that with him. There’s a fun side to Maui, and a desire to keep things fun, and not be quick to show the vulnerability. And a lot of bravado, because you can mask a lot with bravado.”

After Moana, Johnson promptly got back in front of the camera, extending his blockbuster streak with films like Baywatch, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Rampage, and Skyscraper, not to mention his continued run within the Fast & Furious franchise, including a spinoff film: Hobbs & Shaw. And as the hits kept on cruising into the 2020s, Johnson reprised the role of Maui in Moana 2, after which he signed on to play the character in a live-action adaptation of the first Moana film.

“I embody this character physically, emotionally, spiritually – every which way that ends with Y,” Johnson told Billboard. “He’s connected to my grandfather, and he was inspired by my grandfather. I lived with my grandfather here on this island. He’s buried on this island. But my grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia, had this charisma, big body, tattoos everywhere. He sang like an angel, he was tough, he was everything, and that’s who Maui is. So from the very first day on set, working with Catherine (Laga’aia, who plays Moana), the very first take, it was overwhelming in a good way.”

Johnson is also extremely proud – and protective – of his onscreen daughter in the film.

“I have three daughters, and I look at Catherine as if she’s my own daughter,” he told Radio Times. “I had an amazing front-row seat to watch this young actress take on this role, her first one. It’s a beloved story globally for over a decade. At 17, she put it on her shoulders with this grace and this dignity. And in a way that’s so Samoan, and just how things are done. I was so impressed with her.”

The live-action Moana sailed into theaters on July 10 (and, yes, there’s already talk of an animated Moana 3), showcasing Johnson in a massive, 40-pound prosthetic muscle suit, traditional leaf skirt, and now internet-famous wig to bring the demigod to life. Johnson has a few other franchises with new chapters on the way, too: in addition to Jumanji: Open World, which is in post-production as of this writing for a planned Christmas 2026 release, he’s currently filming Fast Forever. Will there be another Fast & Furious film after this one? That’ll probably depend on the box office, but given the success Johnson and his cohorts have landed in the past, we wouldn’t bet against the possibility.

Whatever happens, though, you can count on Johnson to keep going. “Making a movie and producing a movie, especially one that you are lucky enough to star in, comes with a great deal of joy, an incredible amount of hard work, and equal amounts of stress, pressure, fun, and anxiety, but ultimately it’s extremely rewarding,” he told The Talks in 2022. “I have the best job in the world.”