The Rock: Today's Movie Action Hero

What does it take to be an action hero in movies these days? With special effects capabilities, it probably takes very little. However, The Rock has been training for the role of action hero for years. Performing intricately choreographed wrestling moves in front of cheering crowds has made him a natural action movie star.

The Rock, whose real name is Dwayne Johnson, played high school and then college football at the University of Miami. A back injury destroyed his hopes of a career in the NFL, so he went into the family business. Like his father and his grandfather, Dwayne became a wrestler and called himself Flex Kavanah. He later took the moniker of Rocky Maivia and then finally The Rock.

In 2001 he made his big film debut in The Mummy Returns. His part in the film so impressed the director that, before filming was complete, there was talk of giving The Rock his own movie about the Scorpion King. It was made the following year.

In 2003 The Rock stretched a bit as an actor, that is to say he got to play a character that wears more than a loincloth. In The Rundown, The Rock showed some flair for comedy as well as action. He kept up nicely with comic costar Sean Patrick Leonard, verbally matching him the entire movie.

With the recently released Walking Tall, The Rock continues to make good acting choices. Roles like this are smart moves. He capitalizes on his physical prowess while allowing him to demonstrate some acting. Of his role in Walking tall, The Rock said, "Like Teddy Roosevelt, I speak softly and carry a big stick."

One of the things that attracted him to the role was its lack of special effects. While working on The Scorpion King, The Rock says that he thought about, "...all the movies that I loved. Old school movies, stuff that didn't have a lot of special effects, but were about what would happen if a real fight broke out with real people."

So real is some of the action in Walking Tall that The Rock even skips a special effect, at the cost of a sports car. In one scene, The Rock is supposed to hit a brake light on a car with a soft bat. Later, the special effects would be added to make it sound and look real. However, The Rock purposely used a real bat. According to him, the director said, "I don't think you're actually supposed to hit the Porsche and bust it."

Although noted for his physique, this half Samoan, half African American is no mere muscle head. He wrote his autobiography in 2000 called The Rock Says. In it, he describes some of his life lessons, including his use of steroids. He stopped doing them once, "...I realized I didn't care to be the biggest or even the strongest guy around."

This married father, may occasionally get back in the wrestling ring, but will have to squeeze the fights in between acting jobs. In the comedy sequel to Get Shorty, called Be Cool. He costars with John Travolta and Uma Thurman. In it, The Rock stretches his acting muscles playing a homosexual.