Dwayne Johnson gets honest about troubled relationship with late father

Dwayne Johnson gets honest about his troubled relationship with his late father Rocky ‘Soulman’ Johnson.

The American wrestler-turned-actor, who plays MMA fighter Mark Kerr in The Smashing Machine, called him a “walking contradiction”.

“At one time the greatest fighter on the planet, but also kind, gentle, tender, empathetic,” said the 53-year-old at the Venice Film Festival.

Red Notice actor however made heartbreaking confession that he didn’t take any inspiration from his own late father for biographical sports movie role.

“I don't think my dad was an inspiration in terms of his tenderness,” remarked The Rock.

Jumanji actor reflected that it wasn't “really my dad as he was homeless by the time he was 13”.

Therefore, Dwayne noted that his late father’s “capacity for love was very limited and that's the man that raised me”.

For the unversed, the Black Adam actor and his late father weren’t on speaking terms at the time of his death back in 2020.

According to media reports, the father-son duo stopped speaking on Christmas Eve 2019 after they got into a “massive fight” on the phone.

However, Dwayne paid tribute to his father a week prior on social media.

“Happy Heavenly Birthday Dad,” he began in the caption.

Moana 2 star continued, “My dad's birthday was yesterday, and I thought about him. A lot. I had a good amount of 'I wonder if…' thoughts about him and our relationship.”

Meanwhile, Dwayne also underwent an incredible transformation to play Mark in the movie.

Interestingly, The Rock's portrayal of the MMA legend sparked Oscar buzz.

“This transformation was something I was really hungry to do,” he added at the festival.