By Adam Duerson, SI.com
Dwayne Johnson, aka, The Rock, a former defensive lineman at Miami and an ex-WWE champ, plays a QB in The Game Plan, which opens this Friday.
SI: How was it putting the pads on for the first time in over 15 years?
Johnson: It doesn't take long to get up to speed. You lace up the cleats, strap on the helmet and then your head is squeezed and it all comes back to you. You're ready to get out there and ball.
SI: One week into shooting, you were injured badly. What happened?
Johnson: I rolled out, jumped up to throw and my Achilles. Two weeks later I was back, but I went from a scrambling quarterback to a somewhat scrambling, mainly drop-back pocket passer. I became Bernie Kosar.
SI: Just two weeks?
Johnson: Sometimes there's great momentum [on a film]. We had that, so I got on the phone with the director the day after surgery and said, "If you can shoot around this injury, you will see me on the set in eight weeks." Then I asked my doc. He said, "Draw an imaginary five-foot radius around you -- nobody can even come close to you"
SI: How did you spend the down time?
Johnson: There was very little, actually. The day after surgery I was an animal in the gym. You would have laughed your ass off. I was crunching, sweating, blood coming out of the gauze. It was crazy. Afterward, I did get to finally enjoy my favorite TV shows: America's Most Wanted and Family Guy.
SI: Did any athletes offer rehab advice?
Johnson: The day I ruptured the Achilles, they rushed me down to Fenway, where the Red Sox were playing, to see their team doctor. I asked, "[How long] are we looking at?" He said, "See that guy at bat right now?" It was Gabe Kapler. "This is his first night back from an Achilles; he hurt his over a year ago." Later, Kapler just said, "You have to suck it up. You carve a year our of your life and you have to be an animal.
SI: In the sphere of Dwayne Johnson injuries, where does this fall?
Johnson: It was the worst. Having been a wrestler, I've had some freak ones: reconstruction of my shoulder, four knee surgeries, three ruptured disks and a blown out back. Those were some pretty bad ass surgeries. But this by far was the worst. You're looking at a year and a half or more before you're 100 percent -- and that's with Grade A athletes.
SI: What about Miami's season (3-1) so far?
Johnson: Well, I feel great about the head coach, Randy Shannon, who was my position coach (on the defensive line). But that loss (to Oklahoma) was rough -- an unbridled slobber-knocker of an ass kicking, Oklahoma-style. If you're going to lose a game, lose it to a good team. It's like: If you're going to lose your starting position, lose it to Warren Sapp.
SI: Which you did. Was Shannon the guy who told you that?
Johnson: No, it was very simple and very clear. Warren flat-out outplayed me. But we pushed each other every day and made each other better. Ten years ago, the NFL was my dream. Now I tell Warren, "Largely in part to you, I'm in Hollywood." He says, "I d much rather be you than taking on 300-pound linemen every week."
SI: You've played a coach, in The Gridiron Gang. Did Shannon contribute to that character?
Johnson: I had two great people to draw from: the real person, Sean Porter; and Randy. Players need motivation and understanding, plus a little bit of a helping hand. Randy understood that perfectly.
SI: Who in the NFL reminds you of yourself?
Johnson: Chad Johnson. I love Chad. There are other receivers who come across as arrogant -- and they are. But Chad can be very big, very over the top; but he still has a very disarming personality. He's fun to watch. Chad doesn't have that wiring of arrogance. Everything just seems fun to him. On top of that, he's a Johnson, which helps.
