International action star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is in town and he’s mining his Vancouver memories for life lessons.
Johnson, who is slated to begin filming his next flick in Vancouver next week, took to Instagram Wednesday evening to share a memory from his time in the west coast city and the things he’s learned from it.
“Just got to show you guys this view – it is spectacular, of one of my favourite cities in the world: Vancouver, Canada,” he begins in the video, while panning to show the city’s downtown skyline behind him, covered in a haze at sunset.
“Look, I’ve dropped my blood and sweat in this city, wrestled multiple matches in this city, shot big movies in this city but one thing a lot of people don’t know is, I want to share with you guys is – when I was 22 years old, I came to this city for the first time,” Johnson continues.
“I was playing in the Canadian Football League, playing my first pro-football game. I was playing for the Calgary Stampeders, we were playing the B.C. Lions. I was so excited. Two days later, I got cut.”
Johnson said it was a “dream shattered” and that he was sent home with $7 in his pocket. At the time, Johnson’s “big goals” and “dreams” were to play in the NFL eventually, before he realized that it was the “best thing that never happened.”
“Because it got me here. So my point is – look, you’re going to get your ass kicked. We’re going to get the shit kicked out of us. You’ve got to get up, you’ve got to have faith that the one thing that you wanted to happen oftentimes is the best thing that never happened,” he says.
“So have faith and just keep that in mind and keep lugging away.”
Johnson’s film Skyscraper, set to begin filming in Vancouver on Monday, is slated for a July 2018 release. The film, backed by Universal and Legendary, casts Johnson as former FBI hostage rescuer and war veteran Will Ford, who now works in skyscraper security.
“On assignment in China, he finds the tallest, safest building in the world suddenly ablaze, and he’s been framed for it,” according to Variety. “A wanted man on the run, Will must find those responsible, clear his name, and somehow rescue his family who is trapped inside the building.”
The film is written and directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber and produced by Beau Flynn, Johnson and Thurber. Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia are executive producers.
Johnson is also wrapping production on New Line action film Rampage, and currently shooting the third season of Ballers. He can be seen in Jumanji later this year.