As the release of Black Adam draws nearer, Dwayne Johnson remembers the early days in his career when he was told The Rock couldn't be a movie star. Johnson got his start in the entertainment industry with the WWE where he went by the name The Rock. Although now known for hit franchises like Fast & Furious, Johnson first wowed audiences as a wrestler for 8 years before making the jump to acting. Johnson has since starred in a number of hit films, including San Andreas, Baywatch, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Skyscraper, and Jungle Cruise.

The actor is next slated to appear in Black Adam, an upcoming DCEU movie telling the story of Teth-Adam, an antihero determined to unleash his violent form of justice upon the world. The film is Johnson's debut outing as a superhero, which also features the introduction of characters like Pierce Brosnan's Doctor Fate, Noah Centineo's Atom Smasher, Aldis Hodge's Hawkman, and Quintessa Swindell's Cyclone. Johnson has long claimed that Black Adam will change the hierarchy of the DCEU and has also voiced his support on multiple occasions for a showdown between his hero and Henry Cavill's Superman.

Related: New Black Adam Trailer Proves The Rock Was Right: It Will Change The DCEU

In a new interview on Good Morning America, Dwayne Johnson opens up about past criticisms regarding his wrestling persona and how he used this as fuel for his Black Adam performance. Although he's now one of the biggest movie stars of all time, Johnson reveals that there was a time when people in Hollywood made it clear that he would have to drastically change himself in order to be successful. Check out Johnson's full comment below:

“I tried to think of times in the past [filming Black Adam] where I felt really constrained. And like I had the chains on me. And people telling me, ‘Well you can do it like this, you have to do it like that.’ For example, when I first got to Hollywood, many moons ago I was told -- out of the world of pro wrestling — I was told, ‘Well, if you wanna make it if you want to be a star’ — the biggest stars at that time were George Clooney and Johnny Depp and Will Smith. I was told then, ‘You can’t call yourself The Rock. Don’t talk about pro wrestling. You gotta lose weight, go on a diet, you’re too big, don’t go to the gym as much.’

“There were a lot of things like that I was being told and if you don’t know any better you buy into it. And I bought into it for a couple of years before I said, ‘This ends right now. And I’m gonna be myself and at least if I fail, I’m gonna fail being me.’ So, I tapped into that, because a lot of those elements are what surrounds Black Adam’s life. And his existence of being told ‘you have to do it like that.’”

Why Black Adam Is Johnson's Perfect Movie Star Role

Dwayne Johnson in Black Adam movie image

Johnson is no stranger to playing a leading man in his movies, and he is, after all, the main draw for movies like Rampage, Skyscraper, and San Andreas. Johnson's role in Black Adam, however, feels like the culmination of all his roles in Hollywood and the movie has specifically been marketed around the idea that this hero is different from every other superhero. Johnson himself has also been trying to get Black Adam made for years and has been promoting the project more vigorously than any other role in his career.

If Black Adam is a success, the movie could become a cornerstone for an entirely new era in the DCEU. Not only could Black Adam get a direct sequel, but Johnson's hero could become the centerpiece for team-up movies in the future, including the long-awaited meet-up between Black Adam and Superman. Much like Robert Downey Jr. became the centerpiece of the MCU, Black Adam could very well cement Johnson's place as Downey Jr.'s DC equivalent, which would further cement the actor's place as one of the ultimate movie stars of this generation.

Source: Good Morning America

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