Dwayne Johnson endured quite the journey to the top of the mountain. Even when he conquered the world of pro wrestling, he was basically laughed at by Hollywood for wanting a career bigger than Will Smith's.
Nowadays, he's among the most recognizable faces in the world, but in truth, Dwayne Johnson's goal early on was something as simple as not wanting to be broke growing up.
In the following, we're going to take a closer look at DJ's background, and what he identifies as. DJ made his stance clear both via Twitter in 2019, and most recently on The Pivot Podcast.
We're going to reveal what he had to say, and if he was ever discriminated against growing up. We'll also take a closer look at why DJ was mistaken for a female at times growing up.
Dwayne Johnson Previously Revealed On Twitter That He Identifies As Both Black And Samoan
Dwayne Johnson was born into a diverse family. His father was black, while his mother identified as Samoan. This brought up a debate online about fans questioning Dwayne Johnson's race. One fan tweeted out that Dwayne identified as Samoan during his rise in WWE.
:Cool, he identifies as Samoan in WWE and was booked that way after Nation days. Was never booked, proclaimed, or titled as First black champion. And hardcore wrestling fans don't name him as such as well. Thus nobody calls him a black champion. Anoa'i family background angle."
Surprisingly, back in 2019, DJ actually took the time to response, clearing up the question.
“Glad I came across this and I’ll give you guys some context & truth. I identify as exactly what I am – both. Equally proud. Black/Samoan,” Johnson tweeted.
“And my friend, let me expand your thoughts a bit here – I transcended race in wrestling so there was no ‘booked that way.' Thx guys.”
Credit to Johnson for taking the time and answering the question. In addition, he would recently revisit that topic most recently during his interview on The Pivot Podcast.
During His Time On The Pivot Podcast, Dwayne Johnson Revealed He Was Always Asked About His Race Growing Up
On The Pivot Podcast, Dwayne Johnson was asked about his background and once again, he made it clear that he identifies as both black and Samoan. DJ also took the time to discuss if he faced discrimination early on because of his race and ethnicity.
Johnson said on the podcast, "Discrimination, yes, growing up. I lived in the south, at that time, I was a 70s baby, in those areas, in the world of wrestling, your wrestling in small towns, living in trailer parks. And kids are looking at me like, what are you? Are you Mexican, black, something? So yea, that happened."
The moment takes place at the 25:00 minute mark.
DJ also discussed his tough childhood, especially alongside his father. Johnson revealed that his biggest goal back then was simple, and that was just not to go broke.
The podcast interview was a rare on for DJ and it already has over one million views. Fans also praised the topics of discussion during the interview.
One fan writes, "Man I’m glad they talked about depression and mental health. The rock is one of my biggest inspirations to improve myself and knowing that even a guy that seems like Superman to me also had bouts of depression."
The fan continues, "If you’re suffering, just know that there are people that love and care about you even though it seems like nobody does because they don’t say it. But the most important thing is that you love yourself. I haven’t found that yet but I hope I do and others going through dark times can find their way too."
Clearly, The Rock has an impact on millions and should consider more podcast interviews in the future.
Dwayne Johnson Claims He Was Mistaken As A Female During Ages 7 To 11
Not only was DJ constantly asked about his race, but it turns out he was often times labeled as a female during the ages of 7 to 11. Johnson detailed that due to his appearance, the confusion typically took place during his youth.
"I sit down next to a kid, and within 60 seconds, he goes, 'Can I ask you something? I said, 'Yeah.' He goes, 'Are you a boy or a girl?'"
"I would say between the ages of 7 and 11, people thought that I was a little girl because I had really soft features and I had really soft Afro hair."
It clearly was quite the childhood for Dwayne Johnson growing up, and fans can get a closer look at what his life was like in his NBC series, Young Rock.
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