Dwayne Johnson gave a wide-ranging interview to Esquire magazine forward of the discharge of Disney’s live-action “Moana,” by which he reprises the position of demigod Maui. The quilt story begins with Johnson’s revelation that he had a most cancers scare earlier this yr that coincided along with his “Jumanji” press duties at CinemaCon. The actor found a lump on one among his testicles and went to the physician within the morning earlier than his journey to Las Vegas.
Per Esquire: “The doc felt the lump and said it was probably epididymitis, inflammation of a tube at the back of the testicle that stores sperm, but it could be cancer. ‘What’s your schedule today?’ the doctor had asked. Johnson told him about the all-day ‘Jumanji’ event. His doctor said Johnson needed to get an ultrasound first thing the next morning.”
“So I had to live with that for those 24 hours, not knowing — and I had to be on all day, joking around, making speeches. But! I’m okay,” Johnson mentioned, noting he did actually simply have epididymitis and never most cancers.
“Jumanji” and “Moana” carry Johnson again to the blockbuster fold after final yr’s A24 drama “The Smashing Machine” stretched his dramatic performing chops and earned him career-best evaluations. Oscar buzz was prompt the second “Smashing Machine” premiered on the Venice Movie Competition, the place Johnson notably broke down in tears throughout a standing ovation for the film. Alas, Johnson was not nominated for finest actor earlier this yr.
“It would have been incredible to get nominated for an Oscar,” Johnson admitted to Esquire. “I realized very quickly that it’s a rare thing to reach this pinnacle where you’re even having these conversations. And it’s exciting! It would have been amazing. I wish it happened. But it didn’t. But in no uncertain terms did I ever think, ‘Oh, that doesn’t matter.’ I always thought it mattered. And it has lit a fire in my spine, which is: Let’s go back to work.”
Whereas Johnson is open to discussing his relationship to performing and awards, he’s staying quiet in relation to politics. He notably advised Fox News in 2024 that he regretted endorsing Joe Biden for president in 2020 as a result of it induced division amongst his followers, including: “My goal is to bring this country together. I believe in that. There will be no endorsement. At this level of influence, I will keep my politics to myself. It is between me and the ballot box.”
Johnson expanded on his newfound aversion to political discuss by telling Esquire: “What I have learned through experience is that I need to keep — need, not want — the main thing. And the main thing for me, the thing that in the morning I swing my legs out of bed and I run towards, is creating. It’s art. It’s storytelling. I’ve learned I’m going to keep my politics to myself. There are moments when, hey, there’s nothing we can’t talk about. If I’m wrong, I’ll tell you I’m wrong. Or if I feel like I got a leg up and this is the right way to go, I’ll share it with you. Politics is omnipresent and it’s forever. I don’t like it. I hate it at times. I hate the slinging. I hate all the bullshit that comes with it.”
Johnson is writing off political discuss, however he’s not doing the identical with AI. Esquire famous that Johnson was “cautiously interested, even excited” when the subject of AI and its threats got here up throughout the interview.
“I’ve always been an advocate for embracing big change—after taking a hard look at it,” he mentioned. “We can either stick our heads in the sand and be afraid, or we can say, ‘Okay, we’re here. Let’s see. Let’s explore.’”
Head over to Esquire magazine’s website to learn Johnson’s cowl story in its entirety.
