Dwayne Johnson Reveals: Arnold Schwarzenegger's Impact in Forging His Action Star Journey

Dwayne Johnson has impressed millions of fans with his charismatic presence in the squared circle and on the big screen over the years. There are very few in the industry who can match the enormous star power that the £800 million wrestler-turned-actor brings to any project.

But when it comes to ‘The Austrian Oak’, Arnold Schwarzenegger, there is no sin to draw a healthy comparison, especially given that the 7-time Mr. Olympia played a crucial role in DJ’s meteoric rise in the action movie genre.

Both movie moguls resemble each other in a number of ways and have a mutual respect and admiration for each other which became prominent when the bodybuilding champion agreed to play a meta-aware cameo in Johnson’s early career film, The Rundown, giving The Rock a great amount of ammunition

Later, Schwarzenegger took his affection for The Rock far beyond by uplifting his ablest successor in the action movie genre.

If Arnold Schwarzenegger is worthy of being termed the most standout action hero during the era of 1980s and 1990s, it is hard to argue that he didn’t pass the torch to Dwayne Johnson in early 2000.

Prior to appearing in ‘The Rundown’ starring Johnson, he scored another weird connection with The People’s Champion. His movie ‘ The 6th Day’s opening scene featured a glimpse of Johnson’s XFL league as a part of brand placement.

During one of the past interviews with Conan O’Brien, DJ explained the sweetest relationship dynamic between him and the marquee bodybuilder.

When he was asked if he ever met Schwarzenegger and received his blessing, the wrestler readily noted, ”Yeah, absolutely, he’s been really supportive. I’ve gone out to dinner with him a couple of times. He’s come out to see me perform at our shows. So he’s been great. He’s hit me with, “Ah, Rock, you’re fantastic, Rock., People’s eyebrows and everything.”