It’s not hard to argue with the success and career trajectory that Dwayne Johnson has carved for himself, but one 14-year-old box office success reveals that his career could benefit from a slight change of direction. From professional wrestler to bona fide Hollywood action star, Johnson has worked tirelessly to become a global entertainment icon. Along the way, the performer has made calculated decisions about his image and the direction he should go, and it has definitely paid off.
Now that Johnson has firmly established himself in the industry, it’s time he took a few more risks. He’s repeatedly proven that he has the skills to take the lead in almost any genre he chooses. But now, following Johnson’s deal with Disney, and high-profile films like the Christmas action film, Red One, and the sports drama The Smashing Machine, on the way, the actor should return to some of those genres he’s previously dabbled in. Those are the performances that made audiences sit up and notice that there was more to the man than a buff, one-note action guy.
The Other Guys Is One Of Dwayne Johnson’s Funniest Performances
It Was The Perfect Role For His Career At The Time
Earlier in his career, after proving himself to be a competent lead in action films like The Scorpion King and Walking Tall, Johnson started experimenting and trialing different styles. Like Arnold Schwarzenegger, who similarly transitioned from muscle-guy-in-action-films to comedy mid-career, Johnson took some riskier choices, playing against his usual type. In the late 2000s, the star tried his hand at some more family-oriented action comedies, with The Game Plan, Tooth Fairy, and Race to Witch Mountain. These showed Hollywood that the actor had the range and the charisma to pull off some roles outside the box.
Yet it was in 2010 that Johnson found the perfect intersection of these genres, in Adam McKay’s 2010 buddy cop comedy, The Other Guys. And it was just the departure from Johnson’s usual roles that his career needed at the time. Johnson’s role doesn’t last long, but it’s easily one of his funniest performances – featuring some of the most hilarious perfectly conceived scenes in recent action comedy memory. The small, supporting role, again, showed the actor’s range and demonstrated he could excel in comedic roles while leveraging his action-star persona.
Dwayne Johnson Doing More Comedic, Supporting Performances Would Be Great
With His Star Power, He Could Do More To Elevate Smaller Films
It seems unlikely that Johnson will return to the great comedic supporting roles like that of The Other Guys. Given the actor’s current slate of movies and ties with Disney, such roles are probably a thing of the past. It’s unfortunate because that performance really made an impact on audiences. It showed that he could break free from his movie star formula and not take himself too seriously.
Now that Johnson has proven his worth in Hollywood, he also has the opportunity to bring attention to films with lesser budgets.
With great fame comes great responsibility. Now that Johnson has proven his worth in Hollywood, he also has the opportunity to bring attention to films with lesser budgets. This is the advantage of taking on fun roles like The Other Guys – he can use his stardom to elevate projects that deserve attention by making smaller appearances in them. Hopefully, Dwayne Johnson can find his way back and solidify his place as a true icon without over-relying on generic action blockbusters.