Dwayne Johnson has a work ethic and look millions aspire to replicate. It does not come easy as nutrition alone cost the actor thousands and thousands of dollars per year. Nonetheless, he keeps dedicated and turned into the biggest action star in the world, a title Arnold Schwarzenegger previously held.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is known for giving other actors advice, such as Will Smith. In the following, we'll take a look how he inspired Dwayne Johnson and helped to shape the actor into the person he is today.
In addition, we'll take a look at their relationship and whether or not The Rock took a shot at Arnold in the past.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Changed Dwayne Johnson's Life With His Habits
We all know Dwayne Johnson's story by now, he had very little growing up and hit rock bottom with the CFL, leaving with $7 bucks in his pocket.
Despite the hard times, Dwayne Johnson managed to stay positive and kept a grounded workout routine in large part, thanks to those who were already successful. DJ revealed alongside Muscle And Fitness that the likes of Arnold changed his life, seeing how building his body would lead to success elsewhere.
"I’ll never forget my mom crying and I’ll never forget the thought I had: ‘Well the only thing I can do is just go build my body,’ because the men who were successful that I knew of—Stallone, Arnold, Bruce Willis—they were men of action."
These days, The Rock is creating his own mindset while inspiring millions of people along the way. When it comes to his approach towards fitness, DJ changed his vocabulary, stating that "I get to", instead of, "I have to."
He explained with Men's Health, "When it comes to hard work and things I’m passionate about - years ago, I stopped saying 'I have to' and started saying 'I get to,'" he wrote.
"Big psychological shift on how you approach the daily grind of shit we gotta get done... I 'get to' train hard and push myself to the breaking point. I 'get to' get my ass kicked and come back stronger. I 'get to' be the hardest worker in the fucking room. Because when you 'get to' do the things you love - it’s a privilege."
It all started with modeling after Arnold, however, did The Rock take a shot at his former idol in recent years?
Did Dwayne Johnson Take A Shot At Arnold Schwarzenegger?
When discussing his transformation as Hercules, DJ made it clear, he wanted fans to see something physically, that had never been seen before, even with the likes of Schwarzenegger and Stallone.
"In getting the role of Hercules, the idea, the strategy was I wanted to hopefully create a look that had never been seen before on-screen by any actor."
When asked if that included topping Arnold as Conan, DJ did not hesitate with his answer.
"Yes," DJ said to looking greater than Arnold. "And I mean that with all due respect by the way. When you look at some of the guys in the past, especially the guys who come from bodybuilding backgrounds, athletic backgrounds—like Arnold, like Steve Reeves, like Reg Park and certainly like Stallone—men who had a bodybuilding history or incorporated bodybuilding workouts, they looked incredible."
"So I mean that with all due respect to those guys, because a lot of those guys are my friends, like Arnold and Stallone for example."
Despite the assessment, DJ discussed his admiration for Arnold, so really, there is no beef there, just Dwayne being confident about his presence portraying Hercules.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Passed The Action Hero Torch To Dwayne Johnson
It seems like the passing of the torch took place between Arnold and Dwayne during the 2010s. Suddenly, Johnson appears to be the biggest action star in the world, with few actors bringing in as much box office revenue for the genre as The Rock.
Despite the change in guard, DJ still owes a lot to Arnold, and that includes a certain Rocky montage.
"For the record, that Rocky IV training montage is one of the greatest of all time. When Drago clean and jerked 485 pounds, I took my lanky broke ass right to the Boys Club in Honolulu to train like an animal."
Nowadays, fans are doing the same though this time, they're imitating The Rock and his brutal Instagram workouts.