Dwayne Johnson Shares Account of Weight Loss to Enter Hollywood
We have often heard tales from Hollywood female actors about their struggle with weight loss as they are expected to look a certain way and be a ‘certain size’. Female actors have been told by directors and agents to lose weight if they want to thrive in the business. Women actors have always had to bear the brunt of shame and unpopularity if they did not adhere to such regulations and expectancy as put forth by the industry.
So far as physicality is concerned, women actors and women in general are scoffed at for being large or of a larger size. This mentality of weight loss mania has had a lasting impact on the world. It has influenced, some may say even negatively, a lot of mindsets and has restricted positive growth and progressiveness. Over the years, we have only mostly heard weight loss stories from a woman’s perspective. Little did we know that this prerequisite of Hollywood did not only pertain to women, but men in Hollywood too. Dwayne Johnson, actor and former professional wrestler, is one such victim of Hollywood’s obsession with weight loss.
Dwayne Johnson, better known across the world as “The Rock”, is an American actor, producer, businessman, and former professional wrestler. Born on May 2, 1972, in Hayward, California, USA, he made his debut in 1996 as a wrestler for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and quickly became a fan favorite.After his retirement as a professional wrestler, Dwayne Johnson started a career in acting. Presently, Dwayne Johnson is an established actor and producer. He has starred in multiple box office hits like “The Scorpion King” (2002), “Baywatch” (2017), lent his voice to the Disney animated movie, “Moana” as Maui, the demigod (2016), and is also a part of the “Fast and Furious” franchise. Johnson is currently promoting his latest project, “Black Adam,” under Warner Bros. Pictures, which is anticipated to come to theatres on October 21, 2022.
In a recent interview with CBS, Johnson talked about the challenges he faced when he wanted to enter Hollywood and start acting in films. Johnson revealed to CBS host Tracy that he was coerced into losing weight to look smaller and to maintain his weight at a much more desirable size. He further added that he took the advice and began his weight loss journey in order to get into movies. Johnson stated that he felt uneasy and wasn’t comfortable with the idea of losing weight for him to nab a job. He spoke about how he was also asked to change his name and forget about his other alias, “The Rock. He claimed that he was pressured and demanded to stop talking about his career as a professional wrestler and to stop identifying himself as the Rock if he wanted to be successful in Hollywood. Subsequently, when he was asked by Tracy as to how he felt when he let go of all expectations and started being himself, Johnson responded by saying that he felt liberated and stated that since he had no one to validate himself to, the people in the industry itself came to accept him as he is and all that he has accomplished in life right to the very moment of him being interviewed by Tracy, it was because he stood his ground and committed to self-acceptance.
Upon hearing Dwayne Johnson’s story and the struggle he had with weight loss, it is baffling to see that men in Hollywood also go through such vile expectations. We are rarely informed of instances where men are asked to lose weight and look thinner in order to secure a role in a movie. It is always the female actors that are put in question when it comes to issues relating to weight, especially in the entertainment business. The incident with Dwayne Johnson is a regretful one, but along with it being regretful is also the insight that we, as an audience, obtain. The idea that Hollywood would ask a man to lose weight is as confounding as hearing a wolf or a dog cluck. Nonetheless, this insightful interview of Dwayne Johnson with CBS is key to changing the perception of the audience, viewers, and fans across the world. Hollywood caters to the demands of its audience; hence it is the viewers’ obligation to put an end to body shaming and unnecessary weight loss. They hold the command.
