Four surprising moments fromDwayne Johnson’s youth — now the subject
of an upcoming autobiographical sitcom,Young RockNo. / 17 The Rock: the early years
- FIGHTING WITH HIS FAMILY
It wouldn’t be exaggerating to say that wrestling
was in The Rock’s blood: his father, Rocky
Johnson, and his grandfather, Peter Maivia, were
both professional grapplers. The young Johnson
(The Pebble?) grew up watching his father in the
ring (Rocky Johnson was part of the fi rst black
tag-team duo to hold a championship belt,
‘The Soul Patrol’), while his grandfather Peter
was also part of the legendary American Samoan
Anoa’i family of wrestlers, via a blood
brotherhood. Among its most famous
members: Roman Reigns, who starred
alongside Johnsonin Hobbs & Shaw. - PAIN & GAIN
By his own admission, Dwayne
Johnson was arrested “eight
or nine times” by the time he
was 16 after being involved
in a theft ring, one of the
charges being for cheque
fraud. Johnson attributes it
to going through a tough
upbringing after his family
got evicted from their
apartment when he was 14.
Johnson recalled how he would
target a couple of “high-end blocks” in
Waikiki in Honolulu. “There are a lot of tourists
that come into Waikiki...a lot of foreign money
that comes in, and we were part of a theft ring
that would target those groups.”
3. BALLERS
Johnson attributed a major turning point in
his life to a school teacher who helped the future
actor change his attitude by inviting him
to play football for his high school. When
Johnson got into the sport, he “had a very bad
moustache and a chip on my shoulder”, but
after a successful run at it while at high school,
Johnson accepted a scholarship to play the
game at the University Of Miami. Although he
would win the national championship in 1991,
his football career was relatively short. The
Rock would later play a social worker who
turns kids away from crime via American
football in 2006’s Gridiron Gang.
4. TRAILBLAZING,
EYEBROW RAISING
Perhaps one of the most infamous
images of Johnson’s early life is
that photograph of himself
sporting a powerful combo of
turtleneck, gold chain, high-
waisted jeans and the most
essential part of the ensemble, a
bumbag, the complete photo
tweeted out on that fateful day in
2014, proudly accompanied by the
hashtag “#WTF”, among others. In a
further delightful twist, Johnson later
admitted on Tonight With Jimmy Fallon that
the bumbag was fi lled with “Pop-Tarts and
condoms”.KAMBOLE CAMPBELL
FRIENDS
(1994-1996)
CHARACTER: Marcel
ROLE: Ross’s pet
monkey. As the
unoffi cial seventh
Friend, Katie dug
deep in order to eat
Scrabble tiles, dance
to The Lion Sleeps
Tonight and hump
inanimate objects.
MEMORABLE QUOTE:
“Oooh, ooh, ahh.”OUTBREAK (1995)
CHARACTER: Betsy
ROLE: In this disaster
fi lm, Katie’s character
is host to a deadly
virus that threatens
the world. So crucial
was her role that she
is even on the poster,
alongside co-stars
Dustin Hoffman and
Morgan Freeman.
MEMORABLE QUOTE:
“Ahh! Ahh! Ahh! Ahh!”30 ROCK (2012)
CHARACTER: Professor
Wigglebottom
ROLE: Katie played
a comedy partner to
Tracy Jordan in this
2012 episode of the
sitcom, wearing
clothes and carrying a
tiny suitcase. The pair
also engaged in a
tense game of chess.
MEMORABLE QUOTE:
“Oooh, ooh. Ooh.”Y: THE LAST
MAN (2019)
CHARACTER:
Ampersand
ROLE: Yorick’s (Barry
Keoghan) companion
in this anticipated TV
adaptation of the
landmark graphic
novels. Only a pilot
has been shot thus far.
MEMORABLE QUOTE
(PRESUMABLY): “Aahh!
Eeeh! Ooh! Ahh!”WHAT DID JACK
DO? (2020)
CHARACTER: Jack Cruz
ROLE: In this 17-minute
David Lynch short,
Katie (credited as
‘Jack Cruz as
Himself’) stars
opposite the surrealist
director as a monkey
accused of murder.
MEMORABLE QUOTE:
“Who’s gonna believe
an orang-utan?!”No. / 18
MEET
HOLLYWOOD’S
HARDEST-
WORKING
MONKEYKatie the capuchin
has been acting
for more than
25 years. We
celebrate her
formidable,
fl ea-bitten
careerWORDS JOHN NUGENTPREVIEW