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After becoming a WWE Champion, The Rock made his way into the film industry and made his big screen debut with the 2001 filmThe Mummy.However, the journey to becoming one of Hollywood’s biggest stars was not easy. The wrestler-turned-actor has opened up about his struggles to fit in to survive in the industry. But he had faith in himself and his work.
Although his initial films, includingThe MummyandThe Scorpion King, were hit at the box office, the actor gained recognition for his role in the 2011 filmFast Five.And during a Q&A session on his Instagram, he talked about how losing a $217 million job to the action star Tom Cruise led him to one of the most successful roles of his acting career.
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The Rock Lost the Lead Role inJack Reacherto Tom Cruise
The 2012 film, starringTom Cruisein the title role, follows Jack Reacher, a former military police officer investigating the case of James Barr, who is accused of killing five people. During a Q&A session on his Instagram,The Rockwas asked if he has lost any role to another Hollywood star.
Answering the question, theBlack Adamstar admitted that he lost the lead role in the 2012 filmJack Reacherto Tom Cruise. The film was based on Lee Child’s 2005 novel,One Shot, which describedJack Reacheras 6 foot 5 inches tall, and weighing around 250 pounds.
Dwayne Johnson shared that he was a fan of the character, and considering his physique, he believed he could be a good fit for the role. He mentioned that he was in a different place, and theMission Impossiblestar was the“biggest movie star in the world.”
“Now, this was ten years ago, and I was in a much different place. I recognize that. Tom was the biggest movie star in the world, and I was not.”
So, the role went to him. However, theBaywatchstar did not seem to have any hard feelings against theJack Reacherstar, as the rejection from the 2012 film led him toward one of the biggest roles of his career.
Read More:“I look back in gratitude”: Dwayne Johnson Doesn’t Regret Losing Out to Tom Cruise in $218M Movie Despite Being Born to Play the Role
Rejection Brought New Opportunities For Dwayne Johnson
The rejection ofJack Reacherlanded Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson new opportunities. He received an offer from Universal Studio to join theFast and Furiousfranchise and joined the popular franchise as the DSS agent, Luke Hobbs. And he is glad that he recognized the opportunity and grabbed it when it came.
In the caption of his Q&A session, theTooth Fairystar said,“Universe works in a funny way,”as he shared that losingJack Reacheropened another door for him. Vin Diesel, who stars as Dominic Toretto in the popular franchise, later shared that the character of Luke Hobbs was originally written for the Oscar-winning actor Tommy Lee Jones.
However, he and the film’s director Justin Lin decided to cast The Rock as Hobbs based on the fan demand. During a Q&A session, theFast and Furiousstar explained that a fan expressed their wish to see him and Dwayne Johnson together on screen, after which he and the director redesigned the character for theHobbs and Shawstar.
Fast Fiveis available to stream on Prime Video.
Jack Reacheris available on Amazon Instant Video.
Read More:Even 6ft8in Giant Martyn Ford is Afraid to Speak Against Dwayne Johnson’s Steroid Usage: “If he answers his life is F*cked”
Source:The Rock via Instagram
Laxmi Rajput
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3451
Laxmi Rajput is a Senior Writer at FandomWire, with over 3,300 articles published covering film, TV, and pop culture. With a degree in Broadcast Journalism and over three years of experience in content writing, she pivoted to entertainment journalism because let’s be honest, superheroes, sitcoms, and Netflix binges are way more fun. Laxmi frequently covers Marvel, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and popular TV shows, offering both fan-first enthusiasm and thoughtful analysis. Her work often dives into Marvel theories, revisits the genius of The Big Bang Theory, or unpacks the Netflix phenomenon of Stranger Things.
