A couple of weeks ago, The Rock took a little time off from his new job -- as action movie superstar -- for a nostalgic stint at his old job as a body-crunching, eyebrow-raising third-generation wrestler.
Not that he clued the new bosses in beforehand.
"Every once in a while, I have to go back. It's like getting my fix, sort of like when movie actors have to go back to the theater once in a while," explained The Rock, otherwise known as Dwayne Johnson. "(MGM) might be worried, but... I miss it a lot."
Three years ago, the phenomenally successful 31-year-old wrestler traded his shorts for a sword, appearing as an ancient warrior briefly in The Mummy Returns and then 2002's The Scorpion King. He followed that up with the hit The Rundown and a memorable gig hosting Saturday Night Live, where he appeared in wig, makeup and a dress (and looked pretty darn good in it, too).
And Friday, he's front and center in a new version of the '70s
drive-in classic, Walking Tall, toting a 2-by-4 and some righteous anger against the crystal-meth-dealing scoundrels threatening to destroy his small Washington state town and his family.
"They left him for dead, they tried to kill him, they took his money," The Rock explains. "You see this in Unforgiven and in Cool Hand Luke. There's this true reluctant hero who speaks softly and carries a big stick."
Big seems an appropriate word when discussing The Rock. His wrestling and movie personas are larger than life, and at 6-feet-5 the guy towered over the various press people and assistants at a recent Miami stop to promote Walking Tall.
Still, in person the man seems slimmer, notably gracious and as comfortable on the balcony of a swanky suite at the posh Mandarin Oriental Hotel as he does making sure wrestling foes can smell what The Rock is cooking. The hotel's not far from his Davie home, where he lives with wife Dany and 2-year-old daughter Simone.
New take on original
His new film shares a title with the 1973 story of real-life Tennessee sheriff Buford Pusser, played by Joe Don Baker. Pusser stood alone to defend his town against vicious gamblers and moonshine manufacturers.
The new Walking isn't really a remake -- the solitary sheriff is now former U.S. Army Special Forces member Chris Vaughn, whose small Washington state town is besieged by an evil casino-owning drug pusher (Neal McDonough). But The Rock, who brought the idea to MGM, sees his movie as in the spirit of the original.
"I saw the original when I was 8 or 9, and I was a fan, because (Pusser) kicked a lot of butt with a stick," he recalls. "But I went to MGM and sought this out. I wanted to keep the same elements that made the original a classic, and not do the Pusser name a disservice."
With the personal blessing of the real Buford Pusser's daughter, The Rock wanted to create a character who stands for the same ideals of moral conviction and the ability to confront evil with purpose and a really big stick.
"That gets a huge response," he says of the scene where his character, incensed and about to bust up the casino and the evil thugs who've sold drugs to kids, reaches for his gun but opts for a piece of wood he finds in his pickup truck.
"(The audience) wants Chris Vaughn to go back there and take care of business," The Rock continues. "He puts the gun down, and people know what's coming. You know the sheriff is gonna get it. Those guys are gonna get it"
You can almost hear the chorus of "Whoo!"
Of course, a lot of the "Whoo!" factor in Walking Tall comes from extended fight scenes, amid many punches, kicks and bullets. The Rock believes that audiences will understand the distinction between violence for violence's sake and the sort that Vaughn commits in the sake of protecting his town, his family and the basic laws of justice.
"This is borderline street justice," he explains. " When he grabs that 2-by-4, people cheer. Without being overly patriotic, and I am a patriotic guy, (this movie) epitomizes what we stand for. I firmly believe that there's a moment in life when you have to stand up for yourself. (Vaughn's) not doing it for glory, but because it's the right thing to do. "
In that sense, The Rock thinks Chris Vaughn has a lot in common with the men and women of Tampa's MacDill Air Force Base, where he attended a recent screening of Walking Tall.
"To see the faces of the troops puts things in perspective. They know a lot about that, about walking tall, about what that means," The Rock said, thoughtfully leaning on his folded hands. "I wish I could promote them. There was a lot of good energy from these guys and women, especially for a movie like this, which is about a soldier coming home."
Cousin's role a challenge
The Rock was never a soldier, but he was, and is, an athlete and an all-around tough guy, so it's kind of funny discovering that even The Scorpion King has a stunt double, cousin Tanoai Reed. The actor says he treats Reed just like family, which, when you consider how brothers and cousins rough-house, doesn't mean he takes it easy on him.
"Because he's my cousin, I'm always like, 'He can do that! That's OK!' " The Rock says, laughing. "He actually shattered his ankle on The Rundown. Sometimes a director will say to me, 'This is really dangerous. We can hire a third stunt double,' and I'm like 'No, no, he's all right.' 'Are you sure? It's really dangerous!' And I'm like 'Nah, he'll be OK.' "
Of course, there's no stunt double in wrestling. Even as reportedly staged as the action is, there's no guarantee that a punch -- or a 300-pound guy -- won't land on The Rock's now highly marketable movie-star face.
So how does he protect his marvelous mug, as well as his standing with those studio guys?
"I tell 'em, 'Hit me on my good side,' " he laughs.