VIDEO: ‘The Rock’ fame Dwayne Johnson reveals he lost major film role to Tom Cruise

Gulf Today Report

Dwayne Johnson has revealed he lost the chance to play the lead role in a major film to Tom Cruise despite thinking he was a shoo-in.

The actor came clean about the situation to his followers during a live Facebook Q&A from coronavirus lockdown.

Discussing the film that got away, Johnson said: “In Hollywood, actors are kind of like in-a-box. There are actors that can vie for a particular role because it allows for them to have a certain look, skin colour, size, etc.

“Fortunately, for me, there aren’t a lot of guys at all who look like me. So, all of my roles, from the beginning of my career, I’ve been a lucky son of a b***h that they’ve been created and designed for me – except Jack Reacher.”

Jack Reacher is the 2012 Lee Child adaptation directed by Christopher McQuarrie. They reunited for a sequel, Never Look Back, in 2016.

It’s now emerged that Johnson, who acknowledges he “was in a much different place 10 years ago”, was “made to think” he had a chance at securing the role because he was the same height and build as the character.

“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?’” he said, adding: “Tom was the biggest movie star in the world, and I was not.”

Despite this, Johnson was freed up to create the role of Hobbs alongside Universal in Fast & Furious 5, a role that has helped him become one of the world’s biggest box office players. Just last year, he co-starred alongside Jason Statham in spin-off Hobbs & Shaw.

“I’m positive that the role of Jack Reacher, because it 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,” he said.

“I look back in gratitude that I didn’t get Jack Reacher.”