Dwyane Johnson, a WWE legend and a thriving Hollywood star, recently opened up about the most agonizing experience of his life. Having endured numerous brutal injuries during his pro-wrestling career and later on film sets, Dwyane revealed that no pain could compare to what he went through at the age of 15.
In an interview with The New York Times, he reflected on the darkest chapter of his life when he and his mother, Ata Johnson, were evicted from their Honolulu apartment. "The worst pain I've ever felt was when we were evicted from Hawaii, and I was sent to Nashville to live with my dad," he shared.
At that time, the father of three was primarily living with his mother, while his father, Rocky Johnson, was wrestling in Tennessee. Despite being married, their relationship was on the rocks. Since he had been living with his mother most of the time, Dwyane recounted how his mother burst into tears upon receiving the eviction notice. "It broke my heart," he said. "It was excruciating to see my mom like that."
Shortly after, his mother made arrangements to send him to his father. She contacted Rocky, who replied, "No problem, I've got an apartment." However, when Dwyane arrived, he was met by a man named Bob who took him to a motel. Later, he discovered that his father was living elsewhere with another woman. "My heart aches when I think about that," he confessed. "The pain my mom was going through. Like: What's my life now? All that time."
The Moana actor revealed that when his mother realized the truth, "within five minutes, it all just... It wasn't even an explosion. It was just—a collapse." That same day, he witnessed his mother step out of Rocky’s car and walk straight into the freeway traffic, with cars and trucks swerving to avoid hitting her.
He had previously recounted this harrowing incident in an Instagram post, sharing how he "grabbed her and pulled her back onto the gravel shoulder of the road." He noted that the craziest and most remarkable aspect of that incident is that his mother has "no recollection of it whatsoever."
The actor shared that he channeled that experience into his film, Smashing Machine. "It was a s**t of a scene to shoot. I didn't like it, but it did serve as a reminder that we always need to do our best to really pay attention when people are in pain. Help them through it, get them talking about their struggles, and remind them that they're not alone."
The film Smashing Machine is set for release on October 3.
