As the son of a professional wrestler, Dwayne Johnson had an unusual childhood that was often on the move, which meant he often had to start new friends.
Dwayne Johnson recalls moment from childhood when classmate asked if he was a girl
Johnson, who is celebrating his 49th birthday, is this week’s Willie Geist guest, and the superstar reflected on an unforgettable incident from his childhood, in which he got into a fight with a classmate
He recalled the bus on the first day of fifth grade.
“I sat next to a kid, and within 60 seconds he said, “Can I ask you something? “, I said, “Yeah, sure” and he says, “Are you a girl or a boy?” he said to Willie.
Johnson shared a surprised expression, but told Willie that question had come up before.
“I would say between the ages of 7 and 11, people thought I was a girl because I had very soft features and very soft Afro hair,” said Johnson, half black and half Samoan.
Now Johnson finds humor in his childhood in the NBC sitcom “Young Rock,” which follows a young Dwayne who, as in real life, is the son of a professional wrestler.
By the time Johnson was in high school, he had lived in 13 states.
“I had a Forrest Gump-like childhood,” Johnson said.
“Wrestling in the ’80s and ’70s was a lot different than it is today. A lot of times, including my dad, the wrestler was living paycheck to paycheck.”
After winning a national championship in soccer at the University of Miami, Johnson decided to follow in his father’s footsteps.
He then became a WWE sensation known as the Rock.
When he retired from wrestling in 2004 to pursue a film career, Johnson said he knew he would have to prove who he was.
“When I left wrestling and crossed over to Hollywood, there was a moment when I wondered if I had made the right decision, because movies – to use a baseball analogy – were maybe batting single,” he said .
He also delves into other areas he is passionate about, such as tequila. In addition to his birthday, Johnson is celebrating a year since the launch of his Teremana tequila brand.
