Actor Dwayne Johnson, one of the most noted personalities in Hollywood and beyond, spoke to PEOPLE for the magazine’s 50th-anniversary issue about giving his mother a house, a Samoan birthday suit for her 75th birthday, and grief. “My mom has always been there, always my biggest fan, even when I was a punk kid in high school, getting in trouble, getting arrested,” Johnson said, referring to the times when he indulged in petty crimes and thievery to make ends meet.
Dwayne Johnson on his teen years, and what advice would he give to young The Rock
Even with all the struggles Johnson and his family went through, his mother, Ata Johnson, would never offer anything but her support to him in tough times. “She would always say, ‘I feel like the world will hear from you one day.’ And this is as she’s picking me up from the police station!” he said.
“The love was boundless; the support was boundless. And [still] today she’s my biggest fan,” the Black Adam actor shared, while speaking about his mother.
Johnson, in his interview for his 2016 Sexiest Man Alive feature, revealed that he was unsure of who he was and who he wanted to be during his teen years when he was situated in Hawaii. The actor mentioned was respectful to his elders and teachers, but he did get into fighting and petty crimes during his formative years.
They were tough times but with his mother’s unwavering, Johnson learned some very valuable life lessons early on. If given a chance, Johnson said he would like to have a heart-to-heart talk with the younger him.
“I’d tell that kid to take it easy. I used to get angry. I got frustrated, there were things [about my situation] I didn’t understand, so I’d go to the gym. Because it made me feel like I had some accountability, like I could change my life. The men I looked up to were all physical guys who got s— done. So I’d tell my younger self, “Go to the gym, it’s all right. But don’t let that [aggression] inform all your decisions,” The Rock said.
The actor then hilariously recalled him stealing Snicker bars every day before going to the gym. “You’re stealing Snickers every single day before the gym. One day, you’re not going to be an ass—. Go back to the 7-Eleven in Hawaii and buy all the Snickers. Pay for them. Then leave them for other people to come in and [enjoy],” Johnson explained, emphasizing his lesson for young Rock.
