In the span of a decade, Dwayne Johnson has gone from simply "The Rock" in Hollywood to one of the most bankable action stars of the modern era. However, it wasn't always this way. During a Facebook Q&A for Hobbs and Shaw 2, the actor revealed an early role that he wanted but didn't get: Jack Reacher.
Johnson discussed how he thought himself perfect for the role of Jack Reacher, star of the action novels by Lee Child. Johnson's 6' 5" height matched Reacher's 6'4," his 260 lb weight was close to Reacher's 280, and he described them both as "bad dudes." Despite being an almost perfect physical fit, ultimately that role went to Tom Cruise, who would play the character in 2012's Jack Reacher and its 2016 sequel, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back.
"Now, this was ten years ago, and I was in a much different place, I recognize that," Johnson told his viewers, "Tom was the biggest movie star in the world, and I was not. I got the call saying 'Hey, you didn't get the role' Look, I didn't even know if I had a shot for it, but the people around me at that time made me think that I did. I felt like I did, I felt like 'Why not me?'"
Johnson then added, "Because [Reacher] was an established character, an IP that was well known and beloved around the world, that I wouldn't have had the creative space to do what I wanted with the character." The former clearly worked in his favor and Johnson expressed appreciation for that fact. "I look back in gratitude that I didn't get Jack Reacher."
A year before Jack Reacher released, Johnson got his breakthrough role as DSS Agent Luke Hobbes in 2011's Fast Five. His performance, among other aspects of the film, helped to rocket The Fast and the Furious franchise into one of most successful action blockbuster titles today. More importantly, it established Johnson as an actor, leading to multiple high-profile roles in films such as Moana, Jumanji: Enter the Jungle and Pain and Gain.
(via Deadline)