A funny thing happened on the way to “supporting roles only” in Dwayne Johnson’s movie career:
Kids.
The struggling action star did “The Game Plan,” a comedy for Disney, and all of a sudden he’s big at the box office and every child’s best bud. He did “Cory in the House” on the Disney Channel. He’s starring in Disney’s “Race to Witch Mountain,” opening Friday, and has an animated film (“Planet 51”) and another kid-friendly comedy (“Tooth Fairy”) due out this year. He’s hosting Nickelodeon’s “Kid’s Choice Awards” at the end of March.
“He’s a dynamic personality with this self-deprecating sense of humor,” says Carla Gugino. one of his “Witch Mountain” co-stars. “Kids respond to that.”
Johnson laughs at the notion. The former wrestler is not in the ring anymore. He’s no longer going by “The Rock.” And he didn’t really discover his big-screen appeal to kids until he tested those waters.
“I started to examine family movies, what makes them work, what makes them not work,” he says. “I realized that when a family movie is done right, everybody in the family has some character they can relate to on screen.
“If they’re done right, the lead character in the movie becomes a better person by the end of the movie and makes everybody around them better, too,” he adds. “That’s what family is all about — struggle, perseverance, staying together. And that’s what a family movie has to have going for it, too.”
The divorced father of a 7-year-old knows what kids like, which may be why he’s fast becoming Disney’s go-to guy for kid-friendly action.
“It’s a cool thing when you can make movies that everyone can go see,” he says.
Dwayne Johnson stars in Disney’s kid-friendly comedy, “Race to Witch Mountain.” DISNEY ENTERPRISES/MCT PHOTO
