Successful at pretty much everything he does, Dwayne Johnson exudes so much charisma that he seems infinitely watchable. This is a trait that appears to hold true in person, as it seems like everyone wants to have a little bit of The Rock in their life. No matter how in demand the man is, he still has managed to build some extremely close relationships. It is easier to find Dwayne Johnson friends than it is foes. That said, there are other people that have played a part in his life that he no longer interacts with regularly, in some cases due to negative feelings between them. In a few cases, the split comes after a public falling out, and in other cases, the two just chose not to associate anymore. It seems not everyone loves The Rock, although he has still more supporters than detractors.
Dwayne Johnson seems to have an almost bulletproof persona. It seems like almost everyone he works with loves him, and almost no one has anything bad to say about him. While it seems that there are plenty of Dwayne Johnson friends out there to talk to about his virtues, it takes a lot for someone to discount and slam the man formerly known as The Rock. However, 2022 took a little bit of a beating on Johnson's persona. It all came to a head when Johnson got his superhero movie Black Adam released. He even had a fan-friendly moment when Henry Cavill showed up as Superman in the post-credits. This was something Johnson did personally. He then went over people's heads at Warner Bros to push his ideas for Black Adam and Superman's future. While he had good intentions, it seemed he had put off several people, who felt he was pushing his own agenda over all others, and suddenly Johnson's good guy persona took a slight hit.
People Dwayne Johnson Doesn't Talk To Anymore
Vin Diesel
Vin Diesel is among the biggest movie stars in the world. Cast as Dominic Toretto in The Fast and the Furious, that original film has blossomed into a full-fledged franchise that Diesel leads in a hands-on role. Johnson joined in Fast Five, and the entire franchise reached new heights. It seemed that Diesel had joined the list of Dwayne Johnson's friends. However, in some fans' eyes, Johnson eclipsed Diesel in importance to the series of movies. Soon, everything soured between Johnson and Diesel.
During the final week of The Fate of the Furious filming, Johnson called out some of his male co-stars over Instagram. At first a bit of a mystery, Johnson was referring to Diesel. Special effects had to be used because they didn't want to work together. Johnson later said they “have a fundamental difference in philosophies on how we approach movie-making.” Things got worse when Diesel publicly called for Johnson to return and help finish the franchise, and Johnson called out Diesel for making it public and refused.
Tyrese Gibson
The relationships of Dwayne Johnson and his Fast and Furious co-stars garnered a lot of headlines. One of the most contentious relationships Johnson has with one of the stars from that series was with Tyrese Gibson. Not pleased the studio delayed the ninth Fast and Furious film's production for a spin-off starring Johnson, Gibson publicly bashed Johnson several times.
He never targeted Jason Statham. Johnson's co-star in the spin-off movie. Gibson seemed to blame Johnson for everything. Posting on Instagram, Gibson wrote “we don’t fly solo” and that Fast 9 should be filmed as originally planned. In the months that followed, Gibson said Johnson made “the Fast and Furious franchise about himself." Gibson finally posted he had a “heart-to-heart” with one of Dwayne’s “associates” to patch things up.
Kevin Nash
Kevin Nash debuted in the WWE under the name Diesel and became the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. However, his run with the company ended when he decided to work for another company in WCW. He helped form the nWo and almost put WWE out of business until wrestlers like The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin helped turn things around.
Hired back by the WWE in 2002, Nash was seen as an aging star while The Rock was still one of the most popular wrestlers in the world. Sharing an onscreen moment during Nash’s first night back with the company, The Rock called Kevin “Big Daddy B.” According to reports, that line was not written for The Rock, and it greatly angered Nash. After this, Nash bashed The Rock every chance he got. That all ended in 2022 when Nash apologized for being a "dick" in 2002 and Johnson accepted the apology, ending a 20-year feud.
Shawn Michaels
One of the best professional wrestlers of all time, Shawn Michaels was known for amazing matches with the likes of Bret Hart, Ric Flair, The Undertaker, and Chris Jericho. As the original leader of D-Generation X, he had a major role in a faction that millions of people loved at the same time The Rock was rising up the ranks in WWE. However, while Shawn Michaels worked with the biggest stars in the world, there was one glaring exception.
HBK and The Rock never had a match with each another. According to respected wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer, The Rock held a grudge against Michaels. The Rock had a run-in with Michaels when he was a teenager. According to reports, during a show in Hawaii, Michaels disrespected Johnson's maternal grandmother. The Rock remembered this, and he had no interest in working with someone that insulted his family.
Seann William Scott
Seann William Scott seemed to be just about everywhere and has since seemingly disappeared. During his time in the spotlight, he starred in The Rundown and Southland Tales with Dwayne Johnson. At the time, Scott was the star and Johnson was getting his break after a successful wrestling career. When they appeared together, their chemistry was obvious.
Two men seemed to like working together based on interviews. However, despite Johnson getting more power in his projects, he has never teamed up with Scott again in a movie. It seems like they have grown apart over the last decade. More concerning about their relationship is that Peter Berg was talking about a sequel to The Rundown, but Johnson said it could include Johan Hill as his co-star, leaving Scott MIA once again.
People Dwayne Johnson Is Still Close Friends With
Rob Corddry
There is still no doubt that Rob Corddry has been one of the most in-demand comedic actors over the last several years, working on countless TV shows movies over the last decade. This included his co-starring role on HBO's Ballers with Dwayne Johnson. It is safe to say that they spent a great deal of time working together, with that show lasting for five seasons. He also joined Johnson on the big screen in the Michael Bay movie, Pain & Gain.
Asked during an interview with Men's Journal about Johnson, Corddry said. “I’m fortunate to be able to say he’s a friend. As a friend, he really is everything that you’d want him to be." He went on to praise his work ethic, saying, "I don’t know how he does it, he’s incredible. He’s really fun to work with and made Ballers an absolute joy." When it comes to Dwayne Johnson's friends, Coddry count himself as a good one.
Hugh Jackman
Hugh Jackman is most famous for playing Wolverine on the big screen, but he has accomplished so much more than that. Two men that have taken on roles that require them to be incredibly jacked, it seems this bond is what has turned them into friends. Hugh Jackman revealed that he turned to Dwayne Johnson for advice on how to pack on muscle.
Talking about it during an interview, Jackman said, "I know Dwayne and I rang him and said, ‘Buddy, I saw you in The Tooth Fairy…and then I saw you in an action movie, and you are massive. How do you do it?” Jackman then shared a story that really touched him. He said he was on the phone with Johnson, and "he goes, 'Hold on a second! I'm talking to Wolverine! You can tell them I said they can wait.'"
Jason Statham
While Dwayne Johnson is not friends with several of his Fast and the Furious cast, one that he remains close to is Jason Statham. He is an actor, but competed on the national level in diving, worked as a model, and hustled on the streets. A combination of early careers that helped him become a highly entertaining movie star also helped turn Johnson into the megastar he is today.
The two eventually broke away from the main franchise's movies and created their own spin-off. This only added to strengthening their friendship. During the feud with Vin Diesel and Johnson, Statham said, "There is no Fast 8 feud between me and Dwayne Johnson. Dwayne and I are good friends, if there was anything to be said, it would be said outright." More recently, Statham also said, "He's just a diamond to work with. He's a 10 out of 10."
Zac Efron
Introduced to most people as one of the stars of the squeaky-clean High School Musical movies, Zac Efron has gone on to play a number of roles in a variety of genres. As a result, Efron became known for his physique and his comedic efforts. This led to him joining the movie version of Baywatch alongside Johnson. The movie was a flop and isn't a highlight in the careers of Johnson or Efron.
However, that is not to say that they didn't enjoy the memories of fun during its production. The camaraderie between them was obvious whenever they were interviewed or appeared on red carpets together. Additionally, they show each other a lot of love on social media, with Efron even posting online that Johnson is “perfect” and referring to him as his “sensei.”
John Cena
John Cena became the flag bearer for the WWE in the years after Steve Austin and The Rock left the industry. Of course, this led to Cena being asked about The Rock, and he was critical at the time. Upset that Johnson professed his love for wrestling then left it behind, Cena said The Rock “pounded his chest that he really loved the WWE, and that wasn’t the truth.” This created bad feelings between the two, which was turned into a storyline for WrestleMania.
Placed into a feud with one another that took place over three WrestleManias, The Rock and John Cena interacted for years. Not holding back on each other during the run-up to these matches, the anger seemed real enough. However, Cena’s recent move to an acting career allowed him to understand his former foe. Cena went on to say his earlier comments about The Rock were “the stupidest stuff ever.” Furthermore, Johnson said on Jimmy Kimmel Live that Cena is one of his "best friends" and "we talk all the time, and I'm rooting for him to win."
Mark Henry
A truly incredible man, Mark Henry is capable of doing things that can only be described as superhuman. Referred to as The World’s Strongest Man throughout his WWE career, he holds several power-lifting records and was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame in 2012. It didn’t take too long for Henry to gain WWE's attention, which led to him receiving a lengthy and financially rewarding WWE contract.
During his early days in WWE, he interacted a great deal with The Rock, which was both advantageous and detrimental. The Rock’s family lineage meant “he knew the protocols” and helped Henry to understand what was expected of him. In the end, they have remained friends through the years and Henry even went out of his way to thank The Rock during his WWE Hall of Fame induction speech.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger came to prominence as one of the most respected and successful bodybuilders ever. He won Mr. Olympia seven times. Not content with that alone, he then transitioned to the movie world and appeared in beloved films like Terminator, Predator, True Lies, and more. He then became the governor of California for eight years.
Arnold befriended Dwayne Johnson, who spoke about what Schwarzenegger did for him in an Instagram post. Johnson said he “was so supportive and welcoming to me when he didn’t have to be.” While Arnold had nothing to gain, Schwarzenegger even went so far as to cameo in The Rundown. It meant a lot to Johnson, who saw it as a passing of the torch.
Brian Gewirtz
Not many non-wrestling fans know who Brian Gewirtz is. Formerly the head writer for WWE’s Monday Night Raw, Gewirtz got the job thanks to The Rock. Meeting on the set of a one-time WWE project, Johnson thought enough of Gewirtz to put in a word with WWE officials. Before he knew it, Gewirtz had a new job and he wrote almost all of Johnson's promos for the company. After Gewirtz found huge success with WWE, he quit there in large part because of Dwayne Johnson.
He left WWE in order to work for Seven Bucks Entertainment, the production company owned by The Rock and his ex-wife. Gewirtz ended up the company’s Vice President. The two worked hard on projects, which included spearheading Young Rock, a sitcom based on Johnson's life. Even in 2022, Johnson was showing his love for his old friend.
Dany Garcia
The relationships in Dwayne Johnson’s life are put under a pretty powerful microscope. As a result of that fact, one thing is abundantly clear about him, family means more to him than anything else. We see this in the way he speaks about his parents for instance or in the fact that he supports all the people he considers his cousins, even if they aren’t blood relatives. The relationship he has with his ex-wife Dany Garcia speaks to the kind of man he is.
Married in 1997 and divorced a decade later, Johnson and Garcia remain bonded by those years and the daughter they share. However, the two still play a major role in each other’s lives. They co-founded Seven Bucks Productions. Johnson and Garcia created the company five years after their marriage came to an end. They have continued to work closely together ever since, and she remains one of Dwayne Johnson's closest friends.
Kevin Hart
Based on their social media interactions, fans who don't know any better might think Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart hated each other. That is far from the truth. The two men have appeared in several projects together, including the very successful Jumanji franchise. Hart remains one of the most successful comic actors working, and Johnson loves to mess around with his little buddy.
The two men have proven they have incredible onscreen chemistry, and some fans could see them as a comedy team for years to come. The fact they love giving each other a hard time everywhere they go, including on social media, in interviews, and on the red carpet, makes them even better for fans to follow. Johnson has outright said he has “never had this type of brotherly chemistry with anyone.” In the realm of Dwayne Johnson's co-stars, none rank higher than Kevin Hart.