Dwayne Johnson says his father's death left a serious impact on him. Even before 2020 became a year when everyone had to go through the coronavirus pandemic, celebrity dad Dwayne Johnson had to bid goodbye to his father in January.
The Hollywood actor says that he could attribute most of the man he is today to his father. Although their father and son relationship was not always perfect, "The Rock" says he wants to push his father's legacy along.
Both Dwayne and his father, Rocky Johnson, were wrestlers.
The father and son relationship
In several interviews in the past, Dwayne has always shared that his father's strict upbringing has affected their father and son relationship.
The celebrity dad also shared that they had to move around a lot because of Rocky's wrestling career when Dwayne was younger. It was that way until Dwayne started building his career in wrestling.
Despite the strict upbringing, the father and son relationship became better while the younger Johnson's career took off.
In 2008, The Rock was the one who inducted his father into the WWE Hall of Fame. Aside from Rocky, The Rock's grandfather, Peter Maivia, was also inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Building a legacy
When Rocky died, The Rock started to realize how important his father's legacy is. He said in the interview with Cigar Aficionado, the celebrity dad said, "So this idea of legacy and what that means, not only leaving a legacy, but sustaining it, and how much more can we push the legacy along, how much more can you expand it, where you can take it."
After his father died, Dwayne realized how much effect it had on his Hollywood career and legacy.
The Rock's father died last January 15, 2020. What made his father's death challenging for Dwayne is that he could not say goodbye to his dad. He said that not being able to say goodbye was difficult to reconcile. He added, "We all lose our loved ones, but when we don't get a chance to say goodbye, that's tough."
Reliving the legacy
Now that the only thing Johnson can do is to keep his father's legacy alive, he still holds on to their father and son relationship.
Although it is no longer easy to accept that his father is no longer around, Dwayne plans to relive memories of his dad through a new sitcom.
This new sitcom, Young Rock Series, is a comedy show that will air on NBC.
This sitcom is based on The Rock's childhood, teenage years, and until he reached college.
