When it comes to Hollywood legends, few actors can match Clint Eastwood. He is undoubtedly a major player in the entertainment business, known for his tough exterior, rugged good looks, and exceptional acting abilities. And while he has a devoted following of admirers, one unexpected fan is none other than Dwayne Johnson, a.k.a. The Rock.
Certainly, fans around the world adore Johnson’s movies like Central Intelligence, Hobbs & Shaw, Baywatch, and others. But he is a die-hard fan of an actor he looks up to, as he admitted in an interview that he froze when he saw the 93-year-old legendary actor-filmmaker at a gathering.
Also, the 51-year-old actor has previously been open about how The Mule actor influenced his portrayal of the DC antihero Black Adam in the 2022 film of the same name.
It was revealed by The Rock that Eastwood served as an unexpected inspiration for the debut of the DC Comics character (Black Adam).
Dwayne Johnson Was Awestruck To See His Man Crush
Megastar Dwayne Johnson is also a huge admirer of Clint Eastwood, another well-known actor in Hollywood.
In an interview with Contact Music, the Black Adam actor recalled how completely surprised he was to see the legendary actor at an Oscars event. Johnson remarked:
“We were at the Oscars and I was doing red carpet and when I was done with an interview, I turn around and there he is, he’s walking in with his wife… I was like, ‘Oh man, this is it.’ And then I froze. I completely froze. I completely froze. I couldn’t pull the trigger… I looked at his wife; she smiled, I smiled at her… I didn’t meet him.”
But Dwayne Johnson, with his renowned tenacity, did not let it end there. The Tooth Fairy actor wanted to express how much Eastwood meant to him, but it seems that he lost his cool when he met the legendary performer in person.
As a result, he decided to do something endearingly retro (which the Dirty Harry actor undoubtedly appreciated). Johnson wrote him a letter on paper to express how inspirational he had been to the young Rock. The 51-year-old actor even shared a picture of the letter’s sent-out envelope on Twitter.
Was His Disaster Movie A Failed Effort To Honor Clint Eastwood?
Last year, while promoting Black Adam, Dwayne Johnson became candid about the impact that the Hollywood legend has had on his life since he was a young child. Looking back on his early performances, he admitted to having been influenced by Clint Eastwood’s portrayal of an anti-hero with a mix of dubious morals and justice.
And the way the Black Adam team created the DC movie was greatly influenced by watching Eastwood’s films. When The Rock was being interviewed by AMC Theaters, he discussed the Cry Macho star’s influence in his 2022 DCU film.
“Clint Eastwood is my favorite actor of all time, and those early cowboy westerns and Dirty Harry 2 [were my favorites]. Our director Jaume Collet-Serra said, ‘why don’t we in the spirit of disrupting, we don’t we make the Dirty Harry of the DC universe.’ And in that spirit would create a lot of dialogue philosophically about what makes a superhero a superhero and what makes a supervillain a supervillain, and what makes a protector a champion of the people.”
Well, even the fans had high hopes for this Dwayne Johnson film, and thus, were enthusiastic about Black Adam for so long. However, the movie did not find favor with critics or audiences; only making $393 million worldwide and was labeled a box office bomb for failing to turn a profit.