Author: From the squared circle to Hollywood, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has proven to truly be The Great One.
According to a release by Forbes on Thursday, Johnson is now the world’s highest-paid actor, edging out Robert Downey Jr. for the top earning spot for the first time. He has been circling close to this position for the past few years, but this is the first time his earnings have surpassed that of everyone else in the business.
Johnson’s $64.5 million earned has more than doubled his 2015 earnings, making him this year’s biggest dollar gainer. The semi-retired professional wrestler’s millions (AND MILLIONS) came from movies including Central Intelligence and Fast 8, as well as the upcoming film Baywatch where he’s set to play Mitch Buchannon. Having recently become an essential part of the Fast and Furious franchise alongside the phenomenal box office performance of his recent films (including 2015’s hit San Andreas) have seen his earnings jump dramatically. This also takes into account his earnings from TV as well as other promotional endorsements he’s been involved with.
In response to this news, Johnson hit Twitter offering Waffle House to all his fans:
This is a tremendous contrast to the days of him growing up in Hawaii. Johnson talked to the Hollywood Reporter earlier this month where he mentioned he and his mother were once evicted from his childhood home. This was not long after his mother’s car had been repossessed. "We come home, and there’s a padlock on the door and an eviction notice. My mom starts bawling. She just started crying and breaking down. ‘Where are we going to live? What are we going to do?’" Johnson was quoted as saying to the Hollywood Reporter.
Those days are long behind him now and it comes to show that hard work, dedication and putting boots to asses sure pays off. We could not be more proud of The Rock‘s success outside of the ring.
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