At age 43, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is one of Hollywood’s most bankable action movie stars.
When he 23, Dwayne got passed over by the NFL after playing football at the University of Miami for four years and found himself living in his parents’ apartment battling depression.
In a preview for Oprah’s Master Class, Dwayne reveals his struggles with depression and shares the moment that got his life back on track.
“I found that with depression one of the most important things you could realize is that you’re not alone. You’re not the first to go through it,” he says. “I wish I had someone at that time who could just pull me aside and [say], ‘Hey, it’s going to be okay.'”
About a month and a half later, Dwayne says he got a call from the head coach of the team that cut him and was asked to return to the field. “I hung up the phone, and my dad said, ‘You’re going to do it, right?'” he says. “I said, ‘No, I don’t think so. I think I’m done with that. … My gut tells me I’m done.'”
Dwayne then told his father, a former professional wrestler, that he would like to follow in his footsteps and go into the wrestling business. “He said, ‘You are throwing it all away. It is the worst mistake you will ever make,'” Dwayne recalls. “I said, ‘Maybe I’ll be no good, but I feel like, in my heart, I have to do this.'”
Watch as Dwayne shares how his father’s response kickstartedĀ of the greatest chapters in his life.
Watch Oprah’s Master Class with Dwayne Johnson on Sunday atĀ 8/7c.
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