For Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, divorce was not part of his blueprint. However, in 2007, everything changed when he and Dany Garcia called it quits after 16 years of marriage. The Smashing Machine actor found it challenging not just to see the end of his relationship but also to imagine the shift in family dynamics for his daughter Simone, now 24. "When you get married, as some of you may know, you sign up for the long haul, but it doesn't always work out that way," Dwayne shared during the November 6 episode of The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcast. "It rocked me, and we had a baby. What kind of father was I going to be?"
As he navigated these changes, he struggled with his mental health. "At that time, I was really going through it," he reflected. "That was another bout of depression."
The challenges in his personal life led the Fast Five star—who wed Lauren Hashian in 2019 and welcomed daughters Jasmine, 9, and Tiana, 6—to seek out happier roles, including family movies like The Game Plan and Tooth Fairy. "I was trying to figure my stuff out, and that was the only thing I really wanted to do artistically," he explained. "I didn't want anything that was going to challenge me to rip my guts out. I wanted stuff with a happy ending, and that's what it was."
But even if his divorce led him to seek those lighter roles, Dwayne thoroughly enjoyed them nonetheless. "I loved making those movies," he emphasized. "I also think I manifested those because I don't think I was ready for anything other than easy, light, family films that made me feel good."
Leaving his marriage behind was difficult, but ultimately it had a positive outcome. Dwayne and Dany—who went on to marry Dave Rienzi in 2014—ultimately kept up their positive co-parenting journey and even built a successful working relationship. Beyond serving as his manager, they've spent more than a decade as producing partners through their production company Seven Bucks Productions. "While marriage wasn't in our cards," the 53-year-old noted, "we realized, 'Well, wait a second, we're building something that's pretty cool.' 'Marriage may not be in our cards, but building business can be.' And that took time."
