Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s career exploded when he decided to reject traditional leading man stereotypes, which otherwise

In an interview with Weekly Entertainment published on November 1, the WWE star turned actor reflected on the gamble he made when he changed careers and how it ultimately paid off.

“As I advanced my career — doing my best to advance my career — there were moments of doubt,” Johnson, 52, explained.

At the time, Johnson was advised to lose weight and avoid the gym to fit the leading man mold. “If you want to be a leading man, you are too big; you can’t go to the gym, you have to lose weight, you have to go on a diet,” she was told.

At first he questioned himself and his choices, but then he had a breakthrough. “Excuse my language but fuck it, I’m not doing this anymore, I’m going to do it myself.” And if I fail, then I can fail by being myself,” the Moana star decided.

This turning point came early in his career in Hollywood, after his success in the WWF and as a host Saturday evening live. He has starred in films like The Scorpion King And Walk highand ultimately chose to retire from wrestling to concentrate on acting.

“A funny thing happened when I said, ‘Ah, f… all that’: My career happened like that,” Johnson said, pointing upward, emphasizing “the power of be authentic and real.