Dwayne Johnson, better known as "The Rock" to wrestling fans, takes on his toughest opponent ever this week: a dramatic acting role in the film Walking Tall.
During an interview with college press last week he described the most difficult part of the film for him.
"My toughest scene as an actor was the courtroom scene for me," he said. "I had a really good acting coach. I had a really good acting coach there daily, anyway, but that particular scene I was excited about. For me in my small world as an actor, trying to take little steps, that was it for me."
Walking Tall opens tomorrow nationwide. It is a film adapted from the 1973 movie starring Joe Don Baker of the same title, and inspired by true events in the life of a wrestler-turned-sheriff, Bufurd Pusser.
"My thought wasn't to actually do a remake, because there were already three of them made," The Rock said. "My thought was to keep the title, because it's such a timeless title, an inspiring title, Walking Tall, and then just do an adaptation of it."
There are some differences from the original film, but the story essentially remains the same. The wrestler-tuned-actor plays a former Special Forces soldier returning to his rural Washington hometown to discover the town's livelihood -- the lumber mill -- has closed and a new casino has replaced it as the town's main industry.
Just like his most recent big-screen role in The Rundown (co-starring Sean William Scott and Christopher Walken), The Rock stars opposite a funny sidekick, Johnny Knoxville, who provides the film with comic relief.
"My relationship with Johnny was great," he said. "That's my boy! He's a good guy, and crazy, as you guys can imagine. He will do anything, literally fearless, but at the same time, I think that's what helps him, and I think that's what going to help him in film."
Knoxville steals more than a few scenes with his mostly unscripted comedic style, but his chemistry with The Rock makes the film.
The Rock's research into his role was helaped by his appreciation for Buford Pusser. He spent two weeks with sheriffs to understand their role but, more importantly, he went to Nashville,Tenn., to spend time with the source of the story, Pusser's daughter Dwana.
"Nothing prepared me more than getting together with the Pusser family," he said. "It was fantastic. They helped me tremendously with everything, very supportive of the movie and everything."
Pusser was also a professional wrestler, and The Rock is the third generation in his family to enter the ring.
Shot on location in the Vancouver, British Columbia area, the film uses the town of Squamish, where the casino exterior was built. Western Washington residents won't recognize the landscape as local, but the film includes numerous outdoor scenes portraying the picturesque Pacific Northwest.
The Rock is slated to star in a live-action version of the popular video game Spy Hunter, and is also looking forward to portraying cartoon character Johnny Bravo in a live-action film. The role he most anticipates is that of King Kamehameha, the king who united Hawaii.