The NBC sitcom Young Rock brings back Dwayne Johnson’s fanny pack in a new poster. Co-created by Johnson and Nahnatchka Khan, the family comedy moves between different chapters in the life of the main character. A set of actors assume the lead role throughout the sitcom’s first season, as Adrian Groulx portrays the protagonist at the age of 10, while Bradley Constant takes over at age 15. Uli Latukefu, meanwhile, plays Johnson between the ages of 18 and 20. Previous posters for Young Rock highlighted each performer.
In the most recent promotional material, however, Johnson’s fanny pack is front and center. The look originated in 1994, with the future WWE legend famously combining a fanny pack with a black turtleneck and a stylish chain. The attire has garnered a lot of attention online over the past few years, spoofed by Kevin Hart and by Johnson himself when he hosted Saturday Night Live in 2017. The fanny pack was even memorialized as a Macy’s Parade Balloon last November, cementing its status from an ill-advised stylistic endeavor to a staple of pop culture. Naturally, the fanny pack would be part of Young Rock as well.
To promote Young Rock, Johnson shared a poster of the sitcom on Instagram. Latukefu is in the center of the image, flanked by Stacey Leilua and Joseph Lee Anderson, who portray Johnson’s parents. While the duo resembles their real-life counterparts, Rocky and Ata, respectively, it’s Latukefu who steals the spotlight with his fanny pack cosplay of the sitcom’s title character. You can check out the poster below.
While it’s true that Young Rock will examine its protagonist through a comedic lens, including the fact that Johnson was frequently mistaken for an undercover cop at the age of 15, the series won’t shy away from how the future action hero had a rocky childhood. Previews have teased that Young Rock will touch on Johnson’s troubles with the law and his struggles to maintain a normal life, considering that his family moved around often during his formative years. For a newer generation of fans who might not have seen Johnson’s rise to prominence in the WWE and only know him from his performances on the big screen, the NBC show offers a chance for audiences to see another side of the globally famous celebrity.
Still, in spite of how Young Rock touches on the thornier aspects of Johnson’s upbringing, the sitcom ultimately adopts a hopeful tenor. It reveals that Johnson gained strength through unlikely friendships with wrestlers like Andre the Giant. Additionally, an important storyline in the series features Johnson running for president. It goes to show that, even if he struggled out of the gate, and even if he was initially teased for some of his fashion choices, Johnson went on to seek the highest office in the land. Perhaps more improbably, the actor has managed to make fanny packs look cool.
Source: The Rock / Instagram