Dwayne Johnson, a professional wrestler and prolific actor, is known to be outspoken about mental health issues. But recently, he dedicated his film, The Smashing Machine, to people battling addiction and depression.
The 53-year-old actor spoke to Variety and shared the inspiration behind his latest release. The Smashing Machine is a biopic about Mark Kerr, a legendary UFC fighter. However, his professional success came with a personal cost.
Dwayne Johnson On Losing Friends To Addiction And Suicide
Since Dwayne Johnson has also battled with depression, The Smashing Machine is more than just a project he worked on. Opening up during the interview, the actor shared, "Over the past two decades, I lost exactly 15 friends to addiction and suicide, who just couldn't handle the pressure."
"In a way, The Smashing Machine is a love letter to the men and women who struggle, who have made it on the other side, and who didn't make it on the other side," he added.
"So Smashing Machine became more of a film, so that's the thing," he told the publication.
Dwayen Johnson On Depression And Losing His Mother
In the past, Johnson has been candid about friends and loved ones who have battled depression and suicidal thoughts. He was only 15 years old when his mother, Ata Johnson, tried to die by suicide by walking into oncoming traffic on a highway in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
In 2018, the actor revealed on social media, "Help 'em through it, get 'em talkin' about the struggle and remind 'em that they're not alone." He also added that he got lucky when he was 15, but that has not always been the case. He first opened up about his mother's condition in 2015.
Not just that, the actor also shared that he suffered from depression at the age of 23 after he did not qualify for the NFL (National Football League). As a result, he was let go from the Canadian Football League. His dreams of becoming a professional football player were crushed, and he was depressed.
"I found that with depression, one of the most important things you could realise is that you're not alone. You're not the first to go through it," the Moana actor said when he appeared for OWN's Oprah's Master Class.
"I wish I had someone at that time who could just pull me aside and [say], 'Hey, it's going to be okay,'" he added.
In 2024, Dwaye Johnson shared a video on Instagram and wrote, "Everybody is fighting demons, and a lot of people keep it in. A lot of people don't talk about it, and I learned that, in many cases, the hard way over the years."
Dwayne Johnson will be next seen in Moana (a live-action Disney film), an untitled Jumanji sequel, and Fast X: Part 2.
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