Another rock interview

[Guest HartFan86]

The Rock Reigns Supreme

 

By Fred Topel

The Rock made such an impression with his cameo in The Mummy Returns that Universal Pictures executives greenlit a new movie before that one was even finished shooting. The Scorpion King tells the heroic origins of the character who became a villain in Mummy Returns. The Rock wanted to make sure that his non-wrestling fans would enjoy his portrayal of Mathayus, the future Scorpion King, so except for one signature eyebrow raise, he kept WWF references out of the movie.

 

“We wanted to make sure that when you went to see The Scorpion King, [taking place] 3000 B.C., you suspend your disbelief,” The Rock said. “Nothing was going to take you out of 3000 B.C. It was very important. My fans are very passionate, very loyal and they’ll go see the movie and I love that. But then there are other people who I want to reach and I want to showcase a little bit of depth. No idiosyncratic nuances, no wrestling, other than the little [eyebrow move] in the harem scene. And not to be too gratuitous either with showing my body except for a couple moments in the movie.”

 

The wrestling superstar has resisted pressure to take advantage of his WWF following in his acting career, and felt that Saturday Night Live was significant in showing his range.

 

 

“I was adamant about not doing any wrestling skits on Saturday Night Live,” The Rock said. “I wanted to do what I did, like the monkey boy and drag [sketches]. It was after that that the substantial offers were coming in. Not from a money standpoint, but just substantive roles. I never thought that I was going to use SNL to springboard. I just loved SNL. They’re great and I thought, ‘Wow, yeah, I want to go work with Will and everybody over there.’ So, a lot of eyes were opened after that night. Since then, after The Mummy Returns a lot of things have transpired.”

 

The Rock still does a lot of fighting in The Scorpion King, and his WWF background was helpful in that he knew how to sell a fake punch. However, accidents still happened, and The Rock earned a reputation for giving gifts whenever he slipped.

 

“I took a lot of pride in the fight stuff and I slipped and hit one of our stunt guys in the face,” The Rock said. “Like the cowboys stunt men are, he was like, ‘I’m cool.’ I bought him a nice watch to say I’m sorry. After that, I knocked Michael Clarke Duncan with my elbow. Michael will get a watch. The problem is as soon as he got knocked out and came to, he was like, ‘Where’s my watch?’ If he’d just been calm and quiet, his watch would have been there.”

 

A greater challenge than the action of The Scorpion King was the romance. The Rock has a love scene with Kelly Hu, who plays a villainous sorceress who later befriends the hero.

 

“That was one of the scenes I was a little concerned with only because I know how I am when I watch action movies, and when I watch movies period. A lot of times I’m not that excited to see the guy kiss the girl. If it’s a little too gratuitous, too cheesy, maybe they take themselves too seriously and it’s too sappy. But [here] it was just right. Not gratuitous, it was very soft and subtle and left a lot to people’s imagination.”

 

Mrs. Rock approved of her husband’s kissing scene too. “She knows it’s PG-13 and she knows how professional I am,” The Rock added. “Kelly Hu is very professional too.”

 

Fans can also rest assured that The Rock will not give up wrestling no matter how successful his movies become.

 

“In some way, some form or fashion, I feel like I’ll always go back to [the WWF] because it’s a great feeling. And the great thing about the fans is they’re so passionate and my fans are so loyal. They know like with The Scorpion King, I’m not doing it by myself. Let’s all go do The Scorpion King. We’re all in this together. It’s going to be the same thing with the next and at the end of the day they know I just want to entertain you. I thoroughly want to entertain you. I really have a passion for the industry of the WWF as well as I have a passion for film. I will juggle and try to maintain that for as long as I possibly can. From the physicality standpoint, it’s demanding. I feel a lot older physically because I’m getting pounded on every night. It’s non-seasonal and it’s four hours of television, not to mention two or three house shows which are just minus the television production. You’re working every night so physically it’s draining and demanding but one way or the other, I’ll always be a part of the WWF and there will always be those ties there.”

 

The Rock felt surprisingly little pressure with the impending release of The Scorpion King. Whether it succeeds or fails, he is confident that his acting career will continue.

 

“I don’t think my career is dependent on the success of [this film]. I think a lot of attention is being paid to it which I believe should be. I’m the principal actor involved and the selling point. I understand that and I just hope at the end of the day, the audience walks out and they’re entertained with the movie. I can only hope.”

 

The Scorpion King opens on Friday.

[Guest]

I wonder did someone on the production team got a giant poster of the Rock instead of a Rolex...