Dwayne Johnson - Television and Film Career

Television and Film Career

The success of his wrestling character allowed Johnson to cross over into mainstream pop culture. He spoke on Wyclef Jean's 2000 single "It Doesn't Matter" and appeared in its music video. That year, he hosted Saturday Night Live. Fellow wrestlers Triple H, The Big Show, and Mick Foley also appeared on the show. Johnson has stated the success of that episode is the reason he began receiving offers from Hollywood studios.

Johnson had guest roles on Star Trek: Voyager, as an alien wrestler that uses The Rock's famous moves, and on That '70s Show, as his father, Rocky Johnson.

Johnson's motion picture debut was a brief appearance as The Scorpion King in the opening sequence of The Mummy Returns. The character appears in the movie's climax in CGI form. The movie's financial success led to his first leading role, in the sequel, The Scorpion King. He was listed in the 2007 Guinness Book of World Records as the highest-paid actor in his first starring role, receiving US$5.5 million for this movie.He was considered for the title role in a feature-length Johnny Bravo film, but it was canceled during production.

Johnson also continued to act on television, including in an episode of the Disney Channel show, Cory in the House, entitled "Never the Dwayne Shall Meet".

While Johnson was away from WWE, the company continued to sell "The Rock" merchandise, and he continued to be featured prominently in the opening montages of their television shows.

Johnson played the cocky famous football player, Joe Kingman, in The Game Plan, and Agent 23 in Get Smart.

Johnson presented the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects at the 80th Academy Awards on February 24, 2008. He was nominated for the Favorite Movie Actor award at the 2008 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards for his role in The Game Plan, but lost out to Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.

Johnson hosted the 2009 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards on March 28. He appeared on the Wizards of Waverly Place episode, "Art Teacher", as part of his stint with The Walt Disney Company. He has made several guest appearances on Saturday Night Live, reviving his character of "The Rock Obama", a parody of The Hulk.

Also in 2009, Johnson played ex-con cab driver Jack Bruno in Las Vegas in Race To Witch Mountain.

He provided the voice of Capt. Charles 'Chuck' Baker in Planet 51.

In 2010, Johnson starred in the family comedy, Tooth Fairy. He made an uncredited cameo in the 2010 film, Why Did I Get Married Too? as a psychiatrist who asks out the recently widowed Patricia Agnew (Janet Jackson). He briefly appears in The Other Guys, as an action-seeking detective. He returned to action films with Faster.

In 2011, Johnson played Luke Hobbs the fifth film of The Fast and the Furious film series, Fast Five, a Diplomatic Security Service agent assigned to hunt down the series' protagonists. Johnson landed the role after Vin Diesel read comments and feedback from fans, one of whom wanted to see Diesel and Johnson in a movie together. Johnson, a fan of the franchise, had wanted to work with Universal again after they had given him his first film roles. Fast Five grossed over $86 million in its opening weekend, the biggest opening for a Fast & Furious film, the biggest opening for an April release and the biggest opening for a Johnson movie.

In 2012, Johnson appeared in Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, and will play Roadblock in G.I. Joe: Retaliation. He began filming Fast Six in August, in which he will reprise his role as Luke Hobbs from Fast Five.