The Rock spoke to Variety.com this week to promote Sunday's WrestleMania 28 pay-per-view. The Rock spoke about a number of topics, including his ex-wife Dany leading his management team, how difficult it was to transition from action roles to dramas and family comedies and why he feels the time was right to return to WWE. Here are some highlights of what The Rock said about:
Only Getting Roles In Action Movies At First: "I didn't have a lot of choices when I first started acting. I was grateful for the projects that were coming in, but they were all action ('The Mummy Returns,' 'The Rundown,' 'Doom')." It took five films before he got his chance at comedy with MGM's "Be Cool," which helped transition him into the family genre, including Fox's "Tooth Fairy." "I was hoping I could do these action movies and do well enough where I could get more opportunities (in other genres). I knew doing action would get old for me."
Winning Over Studio Executives & Getting Better Roles: "I knew it would take some convincing to get studios to invest in me. Through small steps we were able to accomplish big things throughout the years. But a point came a few years ago that I felt there were bigger movies to be made that entertained a much bigger audience than I was entertaining."
Why He Returned To WWE: "I'm back for no other reason than to entertain the fans that had been so good to me over the years. It's not about the dollar. I've been very fortunate. When you go out there and you perform, it becomes really magical. So to be able to go back and create the biggest match of all time for them means the world to me. I took the biggest risk of my life by leaving WWE when I was on top. To be able to go back means the world to me."