Dwayne Johnson is building a Rock-solid résumé
He’s everywhere. And Sunday night (10 ET/PT), The Rock returns to TV in Season 2 of Ballers, HBO’s top-rated comedy. But what makes the ubiquitous actor so appealing?
In his latest turn, Dwayne Johnson, 44, plays Spencer Strasmore, a former football star turned Miami financial adviser to young athletes.
But if fans aren’t into the washed-up-professional-player plot line, they can get their Rock fix with action comedy Central
Intelligence, in theaters now, or one of Johnson’s other projects due over the next several months: a Baywatch reboot, action franchise thriller Fast 8, earthquake drama sequel San Andreas 2 and a Doc Savage movie. In November, fans can hear him voice the legendary Polynesian hero Maui in the Disney animated project Moana.
There’s a reason Johnson works so hard. In the latest Q Scores popularity report, 70% of Americans were familiar with the actor. Henry Schafer, executive vice president of the Q Scores Co., says 31% of those aware of The Rock called him one of their favorite personalities. “It’s an extremely good score. The averages for actors are 48% awareness and a 21% Q score. So he’s well above average on both counts.”
The former pro wrestler is certainly in demand: Forbes names him the highest-paid actor in its 2016 Celebrity 100 list, out this week. He lands at No. 19, up from No. 81 in 2015, with $64.5 million in earnings, Forbes says, thanks in large part to 2015’s thriller San Andreas, which made $473 million worldwide. “He’s pretty popular and has a strong emotional connection with consumers,” Schafer says. Mark Pasetsky, founder and CEO of Mark Allen & Co., a New York-based PR and content development firm, says Johnson’s affability adds to his appeal. “You’re looking at a star who’s a really big guy, he’s fit and in shape, and he’s got this big smile. I just think the combo makes him completely approachable.” Another plus: “I can’t recall any major scandals involving him, and that makes him a marketer’s best friend,” Pasetsky says.
And ever the savvy player, Johnson’s social media presence “is a built-in marketing machine,” Pasetsky says, noting the actor’s large roster of followers on Facebook (56.4 million), Twitter (10.3 million) and Instagram (58.9 million). “What he does is he gives fans that feeling that they’re getting an inside peek at what he has coming up professionally. He shares stuff that is personal but not too personal. He shares what he’s doing for charities. I would think that many stars would want to follow his approach.”
As a professional wrestler, “he started with a massive fan base,” says Bonnie Fuller, editor at HollywoodLife.com. “He just has this very warm, magnetic, welcoming, inviting personality despite the fact he came from being a fighter.” And despite that background, “he doesn’t appear to have any mean streak in him at all. He’s just somebody you want to know.”