Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson received the Trailblazer award from the Hollywood Critics Association on Friday night and, in an emotional speech, the former fighter who became a movie star honored his late father, Rocky Johnson.
“I am going to dedicate this pioneer award to my father, my old man who died just over a year ago,” said The Rock during his speech, which he delivered remotely. “Man, that guy was a pioneer. As complicated as our relationship was – our parent-child relationship, complicated, hard love, hard love – but he was a real pioneer because what pioneers do is change people’s behavior. And that’s what he did. And he did everything he could to send happy people home. “
As a professional fighter, Rocky was, of course, an inspiration for his son, but he also had an innovative career in his own right, even dealing with industry racism, which he said had “occurred” a lot, according to GQ Australia. In 1993, Rocky joined WWE, where he joined “Mr. USA” Tony Atlas and together they were the first Black winners of the World Tag Team Championship, according to Rocky ‘s biography in WWE.
The Rock had previously talked about his relationship with his father, who “was not an ‘I love you’ guy” because Jumanji star told Oprah in January 2020. And earlier this year, he revealed that Rocky was homeless when he was 13, an experience that influenced his approach to parents. Despite his father giving him “an extraordinary life”, The Rock acknowledged that their relationship was not typical.
However, it seems that the two reached a level of understanding before Rocky’s death from a heart attack early last year. As The Rock told Oprah Winfrey: “The day he died, that night when I went to bed, I felt very grateful and moved. Because I realized, oh wow, I have a new relationship with you. A clean slate. No regrets. Painless. Hassle free. Just you and me.”
Now the actor is keen to avoid a negative cycle with his own children – he told Winfrey that his father’s inability to open up and show affection inspired him to do the opposite with his three daughters, Tiana, 2 and Jasmine, 5 , whom he shares with his wife Lauren Hashian. The Rock also has a 19-year-old daughter named Simone with his ex-wife Dany Garcia.
“My dad loved me with the small capacity he was capable of,” explained Johnson. “With my daughters, I want to be as full and present as possible. I want my daughters to know that I truly love them unconditionally.”
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