Dwayne Johnson almost couldn’t be in the movie, that established him as Hollywood’s rising star back in 2002. Out from the WWE world, The Rock entered the entertainment industry with the most prominent role in Stephen Sommer’s ‘The Mummy Returns’. And since his debut, the actor has delivered promising and entertaining roles, earning the title of the best actor of his generation.
Seems like the ‘Mummy’ franchise was a curse to a few of the actors including Johnson and Brendan Fraser. The film was shot under extreme conditions that the WWE player couldn’t handle and Fraser injured himself while performing a student, resulting in a partial knee replacement and vocal cord surgery.
Read more: “I’d Be Open To It If..”: Brendan Fraser Talks About Doing A Fourth ‘Mummy’ Film
Dwayne Johnson Almost Lost The Role Of The Scorpion King
With a history in WWE, Dwayne Johnson made his cinematic debut as the Scorpion King in ‘The Mummy Returns‘ directed by Stephen Sommers. As Johnson was a new actor, he was unaware of the extreme filming schedule and process. The heat of the Saharan desert – 110 degrees was too much for The Rock’s muscular body to handle resulting in him falling extremely sick.
Due to the extreme heat, the ‘Black Adam‘ star suffered from heatstroke and food poisoning while shooting. During that time, he even lost 10 pounds and said, “the worst I have ever felt in my life.” As Stephen Sommer had a higher schedule, the crew couldn’t wait for Johnson to get better. Covered in a blanket, the actor charged at Action. However, “that guy gutted it out, because he was just a mess”, said Sommer after the ‘Baywatch‘ actor managed to deliver a fierce role with a weak body.
In case you missed: “The Rock Is A Lousy F*** And Has A S*xual Fetish I’d Never Allow”: When Dwayne Johnson’s Ex Revealed The Actor’s Dirty Secrets
Dwayne Johnson’s WWE Career Got In the Way of Him Becoming An Actor
The entertainment industry has set extremely high expectations for a perfect figure, chiseled face, and muscular body. Not only talent but also physical appearance is being judged before casting the actors. As Dwayne Johnson was a newcomer, he was warned that his wrestling physic will not acquire him any promising roles.
During a conversation with Good Morning America last year, Dwayne Johnson said, “When I first got to Hollywood, many moons ago, out of the world of pro wrestling — the biggest stars at that time were George Clooney and Johnny Depp and Will Smith. I was told, ‘Well, if you wanna make it if you want to be a star then you can’t call yourself The Rock. Don’t talk about pro wrestling. You gotta lose weight, go on a diet, you’re too big, don’t go to the gym as much.’ If you don’t know any better you buy into it, and I bought into it for a couple of years before I said, ‘This ends right now. And I’m gonna be myself, and at least if I fail, I’m gonna fail being me.”
You would also like to read: Keanu Reeves Missed The Opportunity To Star In Dwayne Johnson’s ‘Fast And Furious’ Spin-Off
