Dwayne Johnson Is Becoming A Comedy Power Hitter
Dwayne Johnson Grabs TV Guide Cover This Week
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ ‘DJ’ Johnson is becoming a comedy powerhouse with a starring role in a hit HBO series, Ballers, and a big summer movie with Kevin Hart, and now he’s got the cover of TV Guide. No, it’s not 1987, TV Guide still exists, it just doesn’t arrive in every mailbox in America in a nice compact collectible digest form.
Johnson is on the cover in anticipation of the July 7 premiere of Ballers season two. Johnson doesn’t just star in Ballers, he’s also the EP on the show and attributes its success to the realness of the show in addition to the comedy element. “We’re about showcasing how these guys get up every day—even if they f— up—and just keep trying to be better in the face of challenge.” He says his team feels a responsibility to the real players who achieve greatness each week and face giant personal challenges off the field. Johnson’s own athletic experiences help him bring authenticity to the series as well. Of course athletically, he’s most famous for his WWE career as ‘The Rock’, but he won a National Championship playing college football and joined the Canadian Football League for a few months.
But his comedy skills are also becoming undeniable in the ratings and at the box office. Central Intelligence has already grossed well over $120 million worldwide in under three weeks, with one of the few summer hits for 2016. And he and co-star Kevin Hart have rewritten the promotion game with a massive social media campaign for the movie blanketing Twitter, Periscope, Facebook Live, Snapchat and Instagram with collaborations with many of the major social media platforms. The movie was also critically well received with a respectable 68 on Rotten Tomatoes.
And like all comedy stars, he’s hosted Saturday Night Live (in 2015), and has a role in an upcoming animated movie. He’s also starred in The Rundown, Tooth Fairy, and had roles in a heavy handful of other comedies.
Johnson’s issue of TV Guide hits stands today, Thursday, July 7, and also includes an interview with Trevor Noah where he discusses how he doesn’t see this year’s election as a comic’s dream, and how he’s preparing for the RNC (weed and riot gear). TV Guide Magazine can be found on Facebook at TV Guide Magazine, on Twitter at @tvguidemagazine and on Instagram at tvguidemagazine.
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