**
-Wow, my guest today is a different type of guest.
You know, this is a guest that I feel like's been
riding my coattails for the past few years
and has played a small role in some of my biggest movies.
I can go on and on,
but it would just take too long if I talked about
the world of hurt and world of frustration
that I have attached to this guest.
Why do that when I could just introduce him?
Ladies and gentlemen, Dwayne Johnson.
Come on in here, big guy. -Come on. Good to see you.
-Good to see you, man. Give me some. Give me some.
-Come here, man. Come here, man.
-No, get off me. That's it.
No, that's it. That's enough. -That's it.
-No, that's it. No, okay. That's it. Sit down.
-Alright. God, it's good to see you.
-It's going to see you, man.
I'm going to tell you what I'm going to do here
because I have you as a guest. And I've yet to do this.
But I feel like today is a day where I have to, where I should.
Normally I drink wine because I feel
like the great conversations on this show
happen over a glass of wine.
I match the energy that I have when I'm at a dinner table.
-Mm. -But I got to celebrate you.
You have a tequila. The tequila's called Teremana.
So today, we're going to make it a Teremana day.
And while we talk, we'll engage how we normally do
with some fire tequila. DLynn, who's my somm.
-I love it. -He's going to come in today.
He should have it chilled, I would assume.
Yes, sir. -Ah, beautiful.
-Now which one do you suggest we drink?
-Well, both are great. Reposado, Añejo.
Let's go with the Reposado today.
-Let's go Reposado. I'll follow your lead.
-Thank you very much. -I'm following your lead.
-I'm sorry, what's your name? -DLynn.
-How are you, Mr. Johnson?
-Good to meet you, brother.
And what's the relationship here?
-I said it when he came out. You weren't listening to me?
I said this is my somm. This is my sommelier.
-Yeah, but you didn't actually give him a name.
-I said DLynn. -You did?
-Yes, I did. -Oh, I missed that.
But you didn't introduce him to me. That was the thing.
-What the fuck he need to meet you for?
-Because I'm your fucking guest. -Yes, but you're not a guy
that is going to embed the world of what he does.
He's my somm. I don't want him --
-May I pour? -Of course you can, absolutely.
-No, no. Here we go. -No, no, no, no.
It's out of respect. -Well, okay.
-That's all. -Alright.
Okay. Out of respect.
Is that like the manna? Did you give me the manna?
-[ Laughs ] I did, yes. Thank you.
-Thank you, D. I appreciate you, man.
What you need water for? I don't need water.
-What's that? -I don't need no water.
-Well, because DLynn, he's a wonderful...
-Alright, well, I'm just going to go and drink.
-Okay. -Well, enjoy.
-It's going to be what it's going to be.
-Thank you very much. -Buckle up.
Buckle up, DLynn. We'll be seeing you with tequila.
It's a joke. Cheers. Come on, man.
-Chee-- Hey. Easy. I know. Don't rush it.
-I didn't say you have to drink this shit.
-Come on, man. -Cheers.
-Cheers. It's good to see you. -Good to see you, too.
Mmm.
Celebrating my guy. Here's what I want to do.
-Yes. -I have an opportunity
to talk to you, and I have an opportunity to
let the world inside of our conversation.
-Yeah. Which we have had many. -Many.
And I think I want to start off our conversation
by just saying like, at this point of time in your life,
what is the thing now that you are starting
to identify with and realize that you want more of?
-Mm.
Time. -Mm-hmm.
-More time. -Mm-hmm.
-And I think that's something that you can understand.
I think that's something everybody out
there can understand.
Especially as you go down the road of life, you start --
things become a little bit more clear.
Now I've had the pleasure of you being my brother
for almost 10 years now, man.
Going on a decade. And we've both grown.
And lucky and fortunate enough to have success, ups and downs,
but the thing that I realize as you go down the road of life
is, man, I just want more time.
Because that's how precious -- you know,
with our kids, the stuff we love,
the stuff we're passionate about, our relationships.
So, it's time.
And so, when I say that, that really force --
it's almost like a forcing mechanism for me every day
where I think it makes me be, as best I can,
as present as possible with the stuff that I love.
-When you talk about time, I think what I think about
instantly is how fast our time has accumulated.
Like, you know, you're talking about a conversation
that happened in a hallway at the MTV Movie Awards.
And in passing, "Oh, shit, what's up, D?" "What up, Kev?
Man, we got to figure out something to do."
-Yeah. -"I'm a fan, I'm a fan.
I would love it. I would love it."
And in that moment, okay,
well, the next stage was to actually figure it out.
We figured it out. We did something.
After doing something, we found that we had something.
This is different, you know, man?
I like, I had a good time fucking working with you, man.
-Yeah. -"Kev, I had a good time
working with you. Let's figure it out again."
I remember the day of finding out
that we figured it out again. We had decided to do the --
-MTV Movie Awards. -MTV Movie Awards.
And we had gotten the call. You had gotten the call already.
And you were in the weeds with "Jumanji."
And you said, "Kev, we got to talk.
There's a big thing." And opportunity to go
and align myself with you in the world of "Jumanji" came.
And I remember we had a moment of like, "Yo,
this can be kind of like --" -"Are we doing this?"
-"This can be like --" -Huge.
-"Is this, like -- Is this going to --
this can be like our fucking opportunity
to do some different shit, to break the mold on something."
And I got excited. I got excited,
but not because of the "Jumanji" of it all.
Because of you of it all. -Yeah.
-Because of the time that we had on that set.
And then you talk about 10 years.
Fuck, 10 years have moved and you have surpassed
so many amazing things and amazing moments.
And then while doing it, I go, "Have me and DJ taken the time
to actual enjoy this shit together,
or are we going too fast?"
-I think both you and I just by nature, we're hustlers,
we're go-getters, we see an opportunity,
we get in there, we take advantage of it.
Even if the opportunity's not there,
we're going to scratch and claw
and we're going to create opportunities for ourselves.
It started for you on the road back at clubs.
It started for me wrestling in little high school gyms.
So we still have that mentality, so it feels like these days,
where we're lucky enough to have success,
you're still traveling the globe.
I mean, that's another thing, too.
Let me acknowledge you for going global, man.
Because you and I talked about that years ago.
We talked about how it's one thing
to service us here domestically,
because this is our bread and butter.
But it's another thing when you can go out
and you can move the world. -Well, you helped me with that,
though. -And that's what you're doing.
-You helped me with that.
Like, I think "Central Intelligence,"
any international exposure that we were able
to gain off of that movie helped me with the world
of international attention. Right?
-Yeah, sure. -And piggy backing off of that,
going into comedy, doing more,
it happened from those moments. -Yes.
-You got a synergy now of wanting to help,
of wanting to amplify
the opportunities of those around you.
I mean, you are now driving towards
making sure that your journey is matched
with one of understanding of theirs
and "let me be a bridge for you, let me be a bridge.
Let me throw you guys more opportunities,
more situations, from the world of success."
Is that a thought of yours now?
-Yes. And it's the lead foot.
It's the lead foot thought. Right?
The bigger you get and the bigger your enterprise gets,
the more jobs you create, the more lives you impact.
And, in fact, it's the same thing with me on my end.
Movies, yes, we can make big movies.
We're putting a lot of people to work.
We're helping a lot of people pay their bills
and take care of their families.
The XFL, Project Rock, tequila, whatever it is,
I like the idea of building brands from the ground up
with your own two lands, as we like to say.
-Yes. -The reason why the XFL
is just so special to me is because, as you know,
like, before all this,
I was -- my goal was to be a pro football player,
NFL, I was going to be --
like, I wanted to win a Super Bowl, defensive MVP.
None of that happened. -Yeah, it didn't happen.
-No, I know. You don't have to say it.
-No, I'm saying but none of that happened.
-I know, but you don't have to say it like that.
-Like, not one of those things happened.
-No, I know. Not at all. -Yeah.
-No Super Bowl. No All Pro. No defensive player.
-Let's just go to the root of it.
You didn't make the NFL. -No, at all.
-Yeah, so that's why I think. -But here's the thing.
You don't have to, like, underscore it.
-I'm not underscoring.
I'm just saying, if we want to deal with the matter at hand,
let's attack it head on. You didn't get there.
-No, I know, but you don't have to say it like that.
I'm open in that way.
You did a whole thing, you crossed your legs,
energetically, the whole room shifted.
-The conversation got serious.
You were very happy to say, "Hey, no,
you didn't make any of that shit."
-As a host, I have to attack issues head on.
-Jesus. Fuck. -That's an issue, right?
So now that we got that out the way...
-Thank you very much.
-...first of all, how you feeling about that?
-Now? Like shit.
-Okay. -Thank you.
And thanks, everybody, for laughing at that.
I appreciate it. -No, hold the laughs.
That's not what we're doing. -[ Laughs ]
-No. On a serious side,
I understand what you're saying, though.
Like, for real.
-We fucked with each other a lot about that.
But the truth is, you know, I always say there are 53 men
on the NFL roster, I was always number 54.
You're good, just not good enough.
But that's what the XFL is. Right?
So that was for me -- You talk about a full circle moment.
So, in '95, when I came out of University of Miami,
it was Warren Sapp, Ray Lewis, dudes like that.
I didn't get that call from the NFL.
So now how cool is it that life can come full circle?
I can buy this league, we can stand it on its feet,
and create those calls for these players.
-Well, you're proof of the concept. Right?
Like,it's a different story
when you are preaching on behalf of something
that you have no, like, energy in or towards. Right?
-Like you have no idea what you're doing.
Like you and comedy. -Ye-- Wh-- Huh? No, no, no.
No, I know comedy. -You guys can laugh.
-I know comedy. -Yeah, but like you have no idea
what the fuck you're doing. -No! Come -- [ Laughs ]
-But you're like, "Hey, look how great I am!"
-Wait. -[ Laughs ]
Like you and comedy, right?
[ Laughter ] It's just the tequila.
-No, it's good. This is just us warming up, by the way.
But I love that you're like, "Hey, man,
I was here, I was where you guys were."
And the idea of giving up is not one
that I will forever stand on.
It's more about making people understand it's worth the fight.
So, I like that there's synergy in the things that you're doing.
-It's worth the fight. -Honestly, I get it.
I understand. I hope you do, too.
But put a pause on what you understand
because we have to take a break. We'll be right back
with more "Hart to Heart" after this.
**
-We're back. This is still "Hart to Heart,"
and I'm still talking to Dwayne Johnson.
So, Dwayne, let's keep it going.
A thing that I want to know,
though, is, like, there's something that happens
where the business mind gets turned on, right?
Where the goal to do more,
want more, obtain more, it's something that happens.
What I can honestly say you are doing was attaching yourself
to the place of brand partnership.
That was dope. You made the world of likability,
accessibility become a normal thing for an actor, right?
I can honestly say watching you gave me the energy
to want to do more, embed myself more.
Was that something that just fell into place?
-It was having the ambition to do more.
-Okay. -So, if the ambition is there
to do more, okay, well what do I need in place?
What kind of organization do I need to level up?
Who do I need to bring in?
And who do I need to help me run in that direction
and get to that particular thing?
But you bring up such a great point.
Because it's one thing about --
and I know this is something you've talked to a lot of people
about who are hungry entrepreneurs
in and out of our business of Hollywood -- so have I.
But it's one thing when you want to brand a line
and you want to do brand endorsements.
You could do those all day.
And God bless you and you should.
But it's another thing, I think,
when you can just pause for a second,
because I think it's prudent and smart
to just pause for a second and just say, "Wait a second.
Do I have the juice, do I have the credentials
and the street cred to get more?"
-Mm-hmm. -So, brand endorsement, sure.
But do I have enough juice and power
where I can take this brand endorsement,
we can bring in smart people in this business that fit right,
and then how can I create ownership?
How an I get a piece of this action?
-Absolutely.
-And how can I have real skin in the game
where for life, and perpetuity,
our kids' kids' kids are getting paid?
-That's the other side of thinking.
-Right. -That's the side of thinking
that I not only admire
but where I learn. Right?
And we had the conversations of ownership
of asking for more, of not just being the face.
Not being the ambassador. -That's right.
-Those are conversations of, oh, ambassador.
Well, that's momentarily. You want the fucking longevity.
-It sounds good for a second. -Yeah.
-We want the longevity. -We want the longevity.
-And not only that, but how do we deserve the longevity?
Well, we deserve it by scaling
whatever business we attach ourselves to.
-That's right. And how do we do that?
How do you have the power to do that?
Well, you got to go out and bust your ass
and you got to just improve your street value.
-Absolutely. -Right? It's what you did.
-You didn't just attach yourself to Under Armour.
You made their -- You made it okay to have the conversation
of what would a brand within a brand looked like.
And bringing my fanbase to the brand, well, that's one tier.
But building the brand within the brand that my fanbase
can identify with and elevate, well, that's another tier.
Those conversations are deserving.
But now, partnership. That's the conversation of partnership.
-That's right. -That's what I think you do well
and have done well and continue to do well.
DJ, let's stop right here, we're going to take a break.
Guys, we have more "Hart to Heart" coming up after this.
**
-We are back. This is "Hart to Heart."
And I'm with the man, the myth, the legend.
Talking about myself. And Dwayne is here, too.
Dwayne, one thing I look at as a major accomplishment,
your goddamn daughter wanted to follow in the footsteps
of what you were doing. -Mm-hmm.
-Your daughter said on her own, "I want to go here."
-Yes.
-"I want to engage and embed myself
into the world of wrestling."
And I think that there's a lot of things
that you can be proud of.
I know there's a lot that you are.
But I want to know what that was.
What was that moment for you?
-Man, you and I have talked about this.
That was a special moment when my daughter,
Simone, my oldest daughter,
said, "I want to get in the business."
And much like I said that years before her.
I said, "What business?"
She goes, "The wrestling business."
I said, "I love it."
Now, what that also does --
like, immediately I just loved it.
What a great sense of pride just as her father.
But then of course, as a parent,
you start to think about all the pitfalls.
-The hardship. -The trappings
and all the hardships and all the shit
that I know she's going to go through,
because I've lived that business.
So one thing that I always like to say,
there's the pomp and circumstance of pro wrestling.
It's the pageantry, the WrestleMania,
it's the bright lights. Right?
It's the big contracts. It's the global company.
But then there's that underbelly in that world of pro wrestling.
And it's just like being on the circuit. Right?
When you're trying to come up as a comedian,
you're playing all these small towns and all these small clubs.
And all that shit that you got to deal with
and backstage politics and all of that.
So I started thinking about that for her.
But at the same time, as her father,
I have enough confidence to know that I have -- as her father,
I have instilled in her from what I knew
values, philosophy,
a work ethic, things like that.
So, man, I was so proud.
And not only that, but I am so proud.
But then also, last thing, if you think about it,
for someone who's --
and she made that decision when she was 16.
Like, she was ready to go.
And I was like, "Well, let's finish school here."
Yeah, me and her mom talked about that.
But you think about that. For someone to say, "Here's
what I believe my life path is and my journey,
it's in this world of pro wrestling,
that my great-grandfather was in,
my grandfather was in, my dad was in,
and I'm going to take this"?
And she's a first fourth generation.
But think about not only is that business difficult,
incredibly difficult business because you're on the road 24/7,
365 years out of the year.
But also, the pressure of being who you are?
-Yeah. -You know?
-Yeah. But she's stepping up. -She's stepping up.
-She's stepping up to that plate.
-Working hard, man. -Right?
-Yep.
-I think when you do understand the hardship
that comes with that world, naturally, as a father, okay,
yes, I do want to have some hint of protection.
I do want something that prevents my daughter
from making certain mistakes.
That comes with conversation.
But then, at the same time,
I want to also build that character.
What do you -- -And let her go through that
shit that she has to, right. -Absolutely.
What do you feel about that business today
versus what it was in your day?
-That's a brilliant question.
Because 20 years ago, we were there,
when we were on top and it was Attitude era
and it was me and Stone Cold and Undertaker
and all these other guys who were putting it down
every night, it was tough.
The role of a female wrestler at that time,
in that business, at that time was hard, man.
It was hard. You can imagine. -Mm-hmm.
-But the world -- that world today...
is much more inclusive, much more respectful,
much more really creating and delivering efforts
to make sure that all the females --
-They're aware. -They're aware.
-They're aware of it.
-And I think sometimes it takes the mirror being held up
for you to go, "Oh, shit, I had no idea that we were that --
Like, oh, fuck. God damn. Like we were -- Okay.
Well, let's make sure that we fix this and correct it."
And I think, to your point, when you talk about the women
and the level of inclusion, opportunity, more importantly
how they're highlighted, and --
-Oh, they're main event-ing WrestleMania.
-Absolutely. It's huge.
It's massive. -It's huge! Yes.
-You know, Sasha is one person I talked to a while ago
and just her story and her involvement.
-Is that right? -Why'd you look at me
like that for? -I saw a little twinkle
in your eye, that's all. -What twinkle?
What are you talking about? -Sasha. I was like, "Wow."
-What are you talking about? -I heard your voice change.
No, you didn't say it like that.
-I said it just like this.
-I love Sasha. She's great. -Yeah, that's how I said it.
-No, no, not like that. -What the fuck are you doing?
I just know you. I'm just saying.
-What you mean? -You have a great amount
of admiration for Sasha.
-Yeah. -She's a badass.
-Yeah. That's what I'm saying. -Beautiful, gorgeous, badass.
-I didn't say -- No. -But I know.
-What do you know? -I look deep into your eyes.
-What are you talking about?
-You admire all those things about Sasha and women.
-Yeah. -Yes.
-Okay. -More.
-Alright. -You know, I was thinking about
is when we used to sit --
We used to sit for our junkets, and anyone who would come in...
-This is bad, it's bad.
-By the way, or if it was anybody of color.
I'd be like, "Hey, come on, baby."
And he would be like, "No, no, don't do it like that."
And we all we got, brother! -[ Laughs ]
-Oh, my God.
God forbid a beautiful -- anyone beautiful walked in.
"Oh, hey, hey. Am I your favorite?"
Oh, my God. -Why you got to be a jackass?
Stop being a jackass. -[ Laughs ]
-Let me take a break. Take a quick break.
We got more "Hart to Heart" coming up after this.
**
-Welcome back to "Hart to Heart." This is Dwayne Johnson.
We're still having an amazing conversation.
Dude, I got to say, when you speak of your heritage,
when you speak of your family, you're so big on the idea
of understanding your shit. Right?
It's like, mahalo--
and I don't know all the phrases,
but your heritage, where you come from,
the foundation in which you want to see grow
and what you resonate towards.
Right now in the biggest places of success,
like, do you have any goals or things that you want to do,
like, of going back to those places of where you're from?
Like, what are the things that you want to be known for
and change outside of the success of you?
What are the things that you want to do?
-Creating opportunities. -Okay.
-Creating opportunities for the heritages
that I've come from. -Mm-hmm.
-So, my culture, I have two -- half Black, half Samoan --
and raised primarily in the islands with my mom and dad.
And then also raised throughout the South in Georgia,
Florida, Texas, Tennessee.
And so, for me, it is a continuous observation
to make sure that around every corner,
going back to the islands,
or also going back to where I used to live,
even here on the mainland in the states,
and providing opportunities locally.
So I used to live in Georgia, twice,
went to school in Georgia when I was a little kid.
We used to live in this little trailer park.
And so now, which is why it's important that I keep going back
and I try to bring as much production as I can to Georgia.
-That's huge that you're bringing that there.
Like, I remember when you -- with Hawaii.
Hawaii, Hawaii. -[ Indistinct ]
-But we went there. We filmed "Jumanji" there.
And then when we had to do other things, we went to Atlanta.
And when you say what you say now...
-It makes sense. -Yes! It makes a world of sense.
Like, you were -- you're running that ship at the time.
So as a producer,
as a guy that's helping make the decisions,
your decisions are now based on creating the better of good
for those that you know are looking and need opportunities.
And more importantly I guess you could say economic growth.
Like, just talking about the film business
in Atlanta, helping it grow.
The bigger the productions, the bigger the business.
The bigger the opportunity, the more jobs.
And doing that same thing in Hawaii,
it's like, fuck.
I wasn't aware, because I didn't ask that question then,
but knowing it now, it's clear.
Like, that's dope as hell, man. -That's why.
That's why both of our "Jumanjis," we went to Hawaii.
And when we make "Jumanji 3,"
we'll go to Hawaii, too, as well.
-Huge. Huge.
-Yeah, so always want to make sure
that you're bringing economy back there,
but also just creating opportunities
for people to take care of their families.
So, dude, every time --
and I have this conversation with every studio we work with.
Because there are some other places
in terms of around the globe,
as you know, where the tax incentives and benefits
are a little better than Georgia.
-Yeah. -So, you got to have that
conversation with the studio.
You want to be fiscally responsible partners
to the studio, but at the same time,
there's just a deep emotional connection with Georgia.
Because for every one of the sound stages
that we've shot at so many times with our movies,
two exits up is that little trailer park
that I used to live in when I was a kid.
-That's crazy, man.
-So that's why it's important to keep it back there.
-That's insane.
-Yeah, so that's why those emotional connections are there.
-No, a lot of respect.
-That's pretty dope. And I had no idea.
-It's like all the stuff you do when you go back to Philly.
-Yeah. -You play the stadium. Right?
-Are you trying to say because I haven't shot a lot of --
What are you saying? -No, I'm saying,
well, there's no tax incentive for production there.
-Are you saying I should do more?
-No, I'm just saying I go back --
Like, I'm in Hawaii now, and I always go back
and I'm just doing little things
and I'm playing little shows for free.
-You piece of shit. -But it's alright.
-You piece of shit. -No, no, it's okay.
Why? I'm just saying! Philly. Brotherly love.
-I understand what you're doing. -No.
God forbid let them go to the fucking Super Bowl.
You're right there. You're right there.
-Oh, that's a good one. -19! Hey! Philly! Yeah.
-Oh, you dirty...
-It hurts Jersey on the whole fucking thing.
-That's good. No, that's really good.
Touche, well played.
-No, get drunk again. Go off camera. See if you can --
-We're going to do a season of "Hart to Heart"
there coming up soon.
Another thing that I want to bring to you,
and you're going to love this. -By the way,
WrestleMania next year is going to be in Philadelphia.
-Is it really? -Yeah.
-Well, who do you think made that happen?
-I don't know if it was... Was it you?
-It was. One call. -Wow.
-So you know Nick Khan from the WWE?
-I do. Me and Nick. Nick called me.
I think he called me at 2:00 a.m. with emergency.
"Kevin, oh, we don't go no place to go."
"Stop panicking. I'll get on the phone with Philadelphia."
-So he told you there was a potential of me
going to WrestleMania in Philly?
-Who do you think made that happen?
-You did. Let me get it straight,
you and Nick Khan, the CEO of... -Me and Nick,
the CEO of WrestleMania, what he did, he called me, 2:00 a.m.
The first thing I did, "Who the fuck is this?"
You know how I am. You call my house.
And I heard it was him and I said, "Okay, breathe."
Because he was panicking. I said, "I'll connect the dots,
make it happen," and Philadelphia...
-Wow. -So what I did,
I had to shut down the city for it.
'cause you guys are gonna be there for two days?
Friday and Saturday? -You did that?
-Yep. -Wow, thank you, man!
-So, there you go. -Can I call Nick after this?
-No, don't. Don't. Don't mess with that man.
He got enough on his mind.
-Okay. -Yeah, so let's...
-But anyway, sorry. -Let's just keep it going.
-Okay, keep it going. -Do me a favor,
don't mention that to Nick. -You sure?
-Yeah, don't. [ Indistinct ] -We're tight.
-I know. But don't say I'm involved,
because now I'm speaking about what we talk about.
-Yeah, exactly. Gotcha. -It's a whole thing.
-Secret. -Yeah. Our secret.
Here's something good for you,
and I'm curious about this, right?
I know -- -Your sexuality.
-No, no. Wait a second. No. -[ Laughs ]
-Yes. [ Laughter ]
I know, you've been curious about it for a long time.
-No, that's not what I'm saying, man.
For me, it's the world of your want in the business now, right?
-What or want? -Want.
Like, the movies are getting bigger, right?
The opportunities have gotten more, like, massive.
And from you in "Fast" and that franchise as Hobbs,
and taking Hobbs and then making "Hobbs & Shaw."
And going to "Jumanji."
After "Jumanji," it's like, okay, "Black Adam."
There's this thing that I've seen in progression, right?
And it's like if it was the superhero
of Black Adam presenting himself --
By the way, congrats on the success of "Black Adam."
-Thank you. -I know that was like
your biggest movie, which is weird, because we did
movies together, so I figured that you would probably have,
like, much bigger success with me.
But I guess going on your own to do this thing
was kind of a good decision for you.
-Biggest opening of my career, yeah.
-Yeah, biggest opening. But like I said,
which is weird, because you and I...
-Yeah, but we had big ones. -That's what I'm saying.
-But not as big as "Black Adam."
-We don't have to get into specifics. But regardless --
-It would have been big if you were Honky Pete.
-I wanted to be Honky Pete. -I know you did.
-You wouldn't let me be Honky Pete.
-No, I told you I would.
-I would have did it in a heartbeat.
-No, no, no. But you wanted too much money.
It was a weird thing. -What I want and what I deserve,
you understand, we can get into that later.
-Got you. -By the way, what a dick
to not approve what I felt like I deserved.
-Wait. I called Nick Khan
and he said, "I don't know if you want to do that."
-Nick said that? -No. I don't know.
He said to me, "I don't know if you want
to treat Kevin that way." I said, "No,
but Kevin's being unfair."
That was the thing. -Got it.
-So he did come around in your defense.
-Okay, good, good. Then it's fine.
Those things will work itself out.
-Absolutely, yes.
-We're going to stop here for a second.
Guys, these is "Hart to Heart."
We'll be right back with more after this.
**
-Welcome back to "Hart to Heart."
Guys, the conversation is only getting better.
I hope you're as engaged as I am.
Dwayne, let's get back to the point.
"Black Adam," you, big opening. Huge!
By the way, the thing that's crazy about it being
so fucking big, your fanbase is engaged, everybody's engaged.
You make an announcement.
And your announcement is talking about, "Hey,
we're not going to continue the world of 'Black Adam.'"
Right? -Yeah.
-For me, I'm curious. I want to know why,
especially when there's such a successful opening,
you seem to have the appetite from your fanbase for more.
What's the reason or the reasons
for the stopping of "Black Adam"?
-Uh...
I think that "Black Adam" got caught
in a vortex of new leadership
and at that time, as we were creating "Black Adam,"
developing it, shooting "Black Adam,"
we got knocked down a little bit
because of COVID and the shutdowns,
got back up,
there were so many changes in leadership
and as you know, any time you have a company,
but especially that size and magnitude
that's a publicly traded company,
and you have all those changes in leadership,
you have people coming in who creatively,
fiscally are going to make decisions
that you may not agree with philosophically.
So, I think "Black Adam" was one of those movies
that got caught in that web of new leadership.
And, you know, that will always be
one of the biggest mysteries, I think,
not only for me and us on our end,
but also throughout our business.
Because that's a Kevin question,
but that was a question out of Wall Street,
that was a question out of Hollywood.
That was a question, like, wait a second.
You had the biggest opening of your career.
Sure, no China,
That could have been maybe 100, maybe 200 more million dollars.
You're establishing a new superhero,
you want to grow out the franchise.
You bring back Superman and Henry Cavill.
The world went crazy. And also, too, and you and I,
you were texting me this on opening weekend
is we created a diverse superhero portfolio
where we had just men and women and color in "Black Adam,"
too, as well, so... -I think I was more --
I was impressed by the execution.
-Yeah. -I know how "Black Adam,"
how close the movie was, the project,
and that was one that was near and dear to your heart.
And cracking the code, it seemed that cracking the code
in the world of superhero is something, of course,
that you were very ambitious about doing.
And what I thought you did. I was like, "That's dope as fuck.
He put his mind to it and he did it.
Like, the shit's happening. They're in production,
they're shooting a movie, fuck. It's done."
Damn, released the trailer. Shit looked good.
DJ, congrats. Fuck, alright. You then released the movie.
Movie has success behind it, you get some positive dollars
in the goddamned box office behind it
in a time with the box office seemed to be taking hits, dips.
So, I don't know. It was just a weird thing for me
and just not knowing.
But to hear you say that, it makes sense.
You know, when there's a changing of the guard,
sometimes the business changes as well.
And rightfully so, right? -Exactly.
-Like, we can't be a part of the world of why on that side.
But -- And giving them the best opportunity
to make more and do more, that's our job.
That's where we come in. -Exactly.
And, you know, I think as business-minded people,
you and I, who are always thinking audience first,
yes, we look at and respect the bottom line economically.
But also when we think about opportunity
and creating opportunity and creating things
that are fresh in delivering with the audience,
which is our number-one boss,
when that wasn't looked at through that lens,
it makes things a little bit more challenging
I think for guys like you and I
where we go, "You sure you want to do this?"
But, hey, at the end of the day, you know what it is?
It's like new ownership coming in,
buying an NFL team, and going, "Alright,
not my head coach, not my quarterback.
Doesn't matter how many times you won the Super Bowl,
doesn't matter how many rings we got,
I'm going with somebody else." -That's a great example.
-Yeah. -That's a great example.
What else is Dwayne looking to do?
What else do you want to do
from a creative standpoint in the business today?
Outside of you and I doing something big. Right?
Outside of that. I know you want that,
so you don't got to say that. -I do want that.
-Yeah, so you don't got to say. I know that.
So don't say that. Like, I already know that answer.
So take me out the box.
What else are you looking to do from a space of creative
in the business of entertainment with you on the screen?
Is there anything specific that you feel you haven't done?
Or are you looking to just figure out as you go?
-Well, figuring out as we go,
that works sometimes, I think, for guys like you and I.
But also, you want to make sure that you're sharp in focus.
So, I would say there's things out there that I haven't done.
There's genres that I haven't worked in yet
that might unlocked some song,
that might include some choreography.
-Nice. -It might include...
-So who would do it? -What do you mean? In what way?
-You say it would include song and choreography.
So, you wouldn't be in that, of course, so who would do it?
-Why do you say it like that, though? What do you mean?
-Because you can't dance. -As if I can't dance.
What are you talking about? -You can't dance.
-I can boogie-oogie-oogie. What are you talking about?
-What is that? What is boogie-oogie-oogie?
Are you 78? What is that? -I'll show you later.
-What the fuck just happened? -[ Laughs ]
-I don't know who I turned into. -He can boogie-oogie-oogie.
"I'll boogie-oogie-oogie." What?
The fuck are you talking about?
-Why'd you got to say it like that?
Like it ain't going to be you. -[ Laughs ]
No, I like that. That's actually a great space.
What about drama? -I mean, it's that, it's drama.
Really, it continues to be everything and anything.
-Okay. -Because at the end of the day,
I got into this business years ago,
just like you got into this business years ago.
We had our critics, we had our cynics.
"Oh, another comedian trying to make it in Hollywood.
Oh, and another professional wrestler
trying to make it in Hollywood." No blueprint ahead of us.
So all of a sudden, years later, here we are, and I just --
I love being in this position that, you know, knock on wood,
we come in, we can green light movies,
we can green light projects,
and they could be in any genre we choose to.
But at the end of the day, most important thing,
taking care of the audience.
-I like the fact that you still embrace
those that are coming along in the journey.
You still shake the hands, you still make the eye contact.
That's the biggest piece for me is like the respect.
You respect the business, you respect the people.
And I think that's why your wins will continue to come.
DJ, let's stop right here. We're going to take a break.
Guys, we got more "Hart to Heart" coming up after this.
**
-DJ. -Yes.
-I got to ask you one more question, right?
And we can toast after this question.
This is something that I've gotten so many times.
And, A, I want to know if you've gotten it,
and I want to know what your level of care is.
-Yes. -As guys that have experienced
this level of success on the side of the box office,
wow, box office, box office, box office.
You recently just talked about on the side
doing something different, artsy, drama,
maybe we'll figure it out.
Has there ever been an urge or a want to prove, right,
to naysayers of the opposite in talent.
Because we have this thing of commercial,
of big, of brand, of box office so well.
Has there ever been a want to go, "You know what?
I'm going to fucking go this route."
Have you ever had that? -Yep. I have. Yeah. I have.
And what I learned over time was --
because before when I would get that itch, I'd go for it.
Just fucking go for it and do it.
But then what I realized is I was chasing it
and I was letting them -- naysayers,
critics, cynics -- dictate to me my next move.
So, I hear them. I pay attention.
And now I just -- I put it in the head.
And when the time is right, I know, "Okay.
Time is coming, time is coming."
And when the right move and that opportunity presents itself,
boom, that's what I'm going to do.
So I have a few things like that coming down the line.
But again, what I learned over the years
is not to chase it and not to let them dictate.
Because there's that great quote.
I think it was Jay-Z or somebody who said that --
and I love that interview you did with him, by the way...
-Thank you. -...on this show.
But it was something to the effect of like
you can't break what you didn't build.
-Ooh.
-We built this. You can't break it.
You can talk shit all you want.
-You don't know how these bricks were put down.
-You don't know. -Yes.
-So, I do have that every once in a while
and I know you do, too.
But also, you talk about embracing...
what we have been lucky enough to be blessed with
with a little bit of talent and a lot of fucking hard work
and how it all comes together.
Because we've gotten to a place in our career where --
and this is where you're just fucking lucky
if you can get to this point where you make things look easy.
-Yeah.
-And that is the mastery of the craft.
-Yeah. -Because a lot of times,
it's easy for people to get lost in the success.
For example, Kevin Hart, you're doing shows everywhere,
around the world. You're over in the Middle East.
You're going to be in Hawaii.
You're everywhere now, you're global.
And a lot of times, it's easy for people
to forget all the hard work because they see the cache,
they see the success, they see it all.
But I love the fact that us, luckily,
and also so many others out there have gotten to this place
where they're working their asses off
and they make it look easy.
I mean, that's the sign of someone that's doing well.
-Have you had a low at your high?
-How do you mean? In what way?
-Have you, while being high, "Oh, my God, wow, look,
I did it, I'm doing it, whoa," have you had a low?
Have you... "Fuck, man, I don't know"?
-Oh, yeah. You have that.
-I know I have. I'm asking you. I have.
-I know you have. We've talked about it.
Yeah. Absolutely. We all have those lows
where you start to question yourself and start to wonder.
Am I making the right moves? Is this the right thing?
You got to be careful on Twitter and social media
because it's an echo chamber.
And a lot of times it's not what the world actually perceives.
And even if you're not a celebrity or famous,
you've got to be careful on social media.
You got to be careful about people who talk shit
and how much you really lean into that
and how much you really let it absorb.
But, no, I've had the lows, too, as well.
So for me, one of the things with the lows,
and again, we've talked about this,
is to make sure that you know you're not alone.
You got people around you.
-Yeah. -Fucking talk it out...
-Yeah. -...by the way.
How many times you said, "Hey, dude,
if you're alright, give me a call"?
-The biggest thing that I make sure I said is, "Hey,
if I'm ever tripping
or if I'm outside the lines, call me."
Call me. Like in the same, I'm going to call you.
"Hey, jackass. What are you doing, man?
Put the fucking phone down."
Like, I don't know how many people are okay
with making those calls or okay with receiving those calls.
I'm telling you, and I've told you before,
you better fucking call me.
Don't have me out
with my ass in the street with a tank top on in some Tims
'cause I done lost my fucking mind
and you wait until I'm in the hospital to go, "Man,
I saw what you were doing." -Yeah, what the fuck?
-"Bitch, why didn't call me?!" No, call me.
I think it's very important to do exactly what you said.
Talk it out. Lean on what you're supposed to lean on
and who you're supposed to lean on.
In this case, man,
that foundation is extremely important.
I know how close you are to your family.
I know what your family means to you.
Every time you do something for your mom,
with your mom, it lights up my heart
because I know how moving that is.
Like, I know where your world of, like, happy comes.
And it's in seeing your mom receive
the fruits of, like, the labor.
It's like, "Oh shit, I'm able to do for my mom.
I'm able to provide and love my mom at the highest level
and see my mom really enjoy it."
-Which I know we've talked about this, like, in a way,
in a really emotional way, might make me emotional now,
but you live vicariously through me
when I take care of my mom, man. -Absolutely! With your mom!
I told you that. Like, that's fucking dope!
-Because through Nancy's spirit, right?
-Yes! Yes! -So...
-I told you! That's -- I...
When you are giving
to who you know most deserves it...
-Yeah. -...that is watching you
with the biggest applause, that you never even --
you don't know the volume that that applause reaches.
You have no idea the echo that that applause has,
because cheering for you isn't enough.
Your mom's love and when she sees you, it's not enough.
What you think and what you feel you understand,
it's not even an inkling of what she really has.
So, as a guy that was a mama's boy and not having my mom,
when I'm around those that I love that embrace their mom,
you know, I do hold onto pieces of that.
-Yeah. -That's dope as fuck
because I don't get to do that.
I don't get to see that return feeling or emotion.
I can only imagine what it would be.
So my angel is looking down, and I know my angel's happy.
-Can I ask you something? -Yes.
-Regarding your mom, Nancy, is this, what you're living now
and your life now with your kids,
how successful you are, globally, your entre--
everything that you are, was this her dream for you?
Like, did she know that this was your dream?
-I'm going to be honest with you, no.
My mom didn't get to see one piece of the real success.
My mom saw the amateur touch to stage.
And the amateur turn into a comedian
and say this is what I'm going to do.
The first movie wasn't a successful movie,
so it wasn't nothing to talk about.
She just knew her son was trying to act and doing comedy.
My mom passed away while I was doing "Fool's Gold."
-Oh, man. -My mom wasn't there
for the end of that movie.
Or for the return and bang
of what the bootlegging of "Soul Plane" did.
So my mom missed that. Craziest thing about my mom
is when me and my brother found the box.
My mom had all of my press clippings in a box.
-You didn't even know that. -I had no idea.
My mom had the -- when I booked my pilot,
the TV show, the write up.
The comedy club, I won Def Jams'
amateur comedy night competition.
My mom had "he's performing at Laugh House Comedy Club,
tickets on sale."
She bought tickets.
She never came to the show, bought tickets,
had the tickets in the box.
Every aspect of support that you can do,
she did from afar. And she never let me know.
-She never told you? -No. We just found a box.
So I get -- There's a, like, a real thing of admiration
and feeling when I see the ones
that I fucking genuinely love... -Yeah.
-...love their mother at the highest level.
I fucking love you for that. So continue to do that...
-Dude, I love you, too. -...until you can't.
-Like, it's the biggest thing, man.
-I'm going to tell your viewers
right now a little story they won't know.
But if you remember the first time you met my mom,
we're in Hawaii.
"Jumanji 1." She came to set. You and I shot our scene.
We're walking towards where all the guests were.
And I say, "Hey, Kev, my mom is over there.
She wants to meet you. She's such a huge fan."
You could have, like everyone else, quietly gone up,
"Hey, it's good to meet you. It's a pleasure.
Hello." Maybe a picture. Then you leave, "Take care."
Kevin... -Chill.
-...from afar, he's like which, "Who's your mom?
Who's your mom?" I said, "Oh, she's right over there.
Shirt on," blah blah blah. He's like, "Oh, okay."
And he goes, "Hey, hey, hey, hey!
When they let models on set?" -[ Laughs ]
-And my mom's, like, looking around.
"You a model!"
And she's like, "Who, me?" "You a model!"
-You didn't tell me your mom was 21.
-"You didn't tell me your mom was 21!
DJ, this is your mom?! Hey!"
You made her feel so incredible. -Absolutely.
Absolutely, man. -So I love you for that.
-And to this day. -But that's who you are.
-Yes. -That's who you are.
-And to this day, me and Mom have a dope thing.
A chemistry. There's a high level of love there.
-Well...Just... I don't know about that.
-Yeah, we do. -I don't -- No, no.
-We do. -Yeah, just --
"He's my son's friend."
-No. -Yeah.
-No. It's like, "Kevin.
Kevin!" -Well, hey. [ Laughs ] What?
-"Mahalo." [ Laughter ]
I'm joking! I'm joking!
-No, you're not. -I am.
-She loves you, dude. -She does.
Like you're her own son.
-I love your mom. I love you.
-I love you. -I love this moment.
I'm not going to over talk or over stay in this moment
because eventually you have to put an end to what's great.
And in this moment, this is fucking great.
And you guys got an opportunity to see us operate
in the way that we do in the norm, man.
And that's what I wanted here. -Thank you, brother.
-I appreciate it, man. A toast to you.
-Thank you, brother. -Okay? A "Temana" toast.
That's right, I'm going to plug your shit
regardless if I got tequila or not.
"Temana" toast to my brother. -Well,
it's Teremana. Not "Temana." -Well, I'm sorry.
What do you want? You want to be a dick?
-God, I only have one window? If you're going to say it right,
say it right, though. -But you get the intent
of what I'm trying to do. -But if I said Gran Coramino
and not "Gan Camareeno." -Well, okay, now that's --
First of all -- -Jesus. Not "Temana."
What you just did, that was racist.
No, that was racist. -It wasn't racist.
How was it racist? -What you just did.
What are you talking about? -What are you talking about?
-Was that an impression of somebody?
-Grand Coramino.
-Yeah, that's what you're saying.
-[ Indistinct ] I know. -What the fuck is happening?
-I got it. -[ Laughs ]
A toast to you. Do continue. Keep going.
Alright? Don't slow down.
Keep going, continue to be an example.
Continue to open these doors.
More importantly, continue to win.
I'm watching, I'm following.
-Thank you, man. -We got a lot more to do.
-A lot more to do. I love you, brother.
-Love you back, man. -Thank you.
-Dwayne Johnson, ladies and gentlemen.
-Cheers, everyone. -Make some noise.
[ Applause ]
Great way to end with Teremana. -Whew! Get you some "Temana."
-But, no, that's not -- -Gran "Cacamino."
-Okay, no. That's -- That's it. -[ Laughs ]
-Uh, we got to take some pictures.
Shoot this thing. Get him outta here.
I'm on -- I got -- I got five minutes
to keep him under the hour, like I promised!