Dwayne Johnson can afford the finer things in life these days, like his stunning $27.8 Beverly Hills mansion. However, this lifestyle wasn't always the case. He left the CFL with seven bucks in his pocket and even when entered Hollywood with fame from sports entertainment, the roles weren't exactly, A-list.
Not only that, but DJ was told to give up on everything he loved, like the gym. DJ had to conform to Hollywood, and it didn't help his career.
In the following, we'll take a look at how Dwayne managed to turn things around. It all started with a bold decision to switch agencies, one that was aided by his ex-wife Dany Garcia.
We'll take a look back at the crucial moment, and how the agency WME convinced Dwayne to leave his long-time agency at the time, CAA.
Dwayne Johnson's Acting Career Wasn't Going As Planned At The Start
Dwayne Johnson left his career as a sport entertainer at the ultimate high. He was on top of the business and made a risky decision to leave at that point.
Entering Hollywood, DJ had regretted his decision at the start, as the roles he envisioned weren't coming in. Not only that, but as Johnson revealed with The Hollywood Reporter, his agency was telling him to change completely, putting aside everything he loves.
"I was told that I had to conform to a standard in Hollywood that would beget me more work, better roles,” he explains. “Which meant I had to stop going to the gym, which meant I couldn’t be as big, which meant you had to distance yourself from wrestling. You essentially had to deconstruct yourself.”
The Rock followed along for a time period, though he eventually realized he wasn't being himself.
“Then that started to not feel good to me. It reached a point of, ‘I’m not feeling authentic."
Ex-wife and now business partner Dany Garcia revealed that Tooth Fairy was the tipping point for DJ. He knew a major change needed to take place if he was going to make a leap in Hollywood.
The Agency WME Made Dwayne Johnson An Offer He Could Not Refuse
DJ started to make bold moves, which began by changing publicists. However, The Hollywood Reporter notes that Johnson was encouraged to make bigger changes by his partner Dany Garcia and manager, Howard Altman. This would lead to DJ finally leaving the CAA agency behind.
The real tipping point took place when DJ wanted to make a return to the ring, but was told otherwise by CAA.
Advised to meet with the agency WME by his former boss Vince McMahon, THR reports that everything changed for Johnson in that moment.
"On McMahon’s advice, Johnson spoke to WME’s Ari Emanuel, who flew to Johnson’s Florida home the next day and invited him and Garcia to a meeting in L.A. with about 150 WME staff, including the man who would become Johnson’s key rep, Brad Slater. Johnson was stunned by their enthusiasm and hunger, a hunger he shared," the publication writes.
The move instantly worked, as Dwayne Johnson's career soared, under a different vision.
The Agency Switch Instantly Changed Dwayne Johnson's Career As An A-Lister
DJ loved the idea of franchise potential, and that's exactly what he got with WME.
He said, “I felt there were bigger and better opportunities,” he says. “I also felt there was franchise potential, hopefully multiple franchises in every genre — whether drama or comedy or action-comedy. I thought, ‘I want people around me who see this, too. And if we fail, that’s OK. We are going to fail swinging for the fences.’ “
Those big swings ended up connecting in a major way, as DJ became a 'franchise player' in films like Jumanji, Hobbs & Shaw, The Jungle Book and of course, nowadays, Black Adam.
With a net worth closing in on $1 billion, the actor has established himself among the most popular actors in the world. That will only continue, as he continues to do things 'his way'.