One cannot gainsay that Dwayne Johnson is one of the hardest-working actors in the world. His fame in Hollywood came after years of struggle and staying resilient. It’s not uncommon to face rejection in the acting field, even though you are a well-established actor. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson once failed to land the role of giving voice to an iconic Pokemon character in the movie, Pokemon Detective Pikachu.
Although Johnson was one of the runners for the role, Ryan Reynold eventually became the voice of Pikachu. The Red Notice actor is no stranger to rejection. DJ once lost the role of Jack Reacher to Tom Cruise. Johnson also confessed that playing Jack Reacher was a dream role for him. However, that was early on in his Hollywood career.
Dwayne Johnson was considered to be the voice of Pikachu in the Pokémon Detective Pikachu movie but lost the role
Besides Dwayne Johnson, other stars like Mark Wahlberg and Danny DeVito were also angling to get the role. However, Ryan Reynold eventually bagged the iconic role. The movie grossed $433.9 million worldwide. Considering that Dwayne Johnson failed to be the voice of Pikachu, his career did not hit a brick wall.
Johnson still enjoys perpetual success in Hollywood. The director of Pokémon Detective Pikachu, Rob Letterman, explained why Ryan Reynolds was the best choice for the movie.
This Detective Pikachu movie trailer >>>pic.twitter.com/gX62jJHB4q
— B/R Gaming (@BRGaming) November 12, 2018
During an interview, Letterman stated that the makers of the film were on the lookout for someone with “a big personality to come out of a small, adorable yellow thing”.
“We needed somebody who’s incredibly funny but could be grounded and dramatic, and have the combination of irreverence and heart, and that narrows it down. It really does. [They needed to] love to improv, and Ryan’s so good at that.” Letterman said.
The Rock has unfollowed the Black Adam and Warner Bros. Discovery’s Instagram accounts. pic.twitter.com/d2sdliLK4e
— Home of DCU (@homeofdcu) December 16, 2022
The director added that the actor needed to be funny, dramatic, and grounded. Dwayne Johnson fans could argue that Johnson had all the ingredients required. Nevertheless, the former WWE Champion moved on with his rejection and landed the role of Black Adam going forward.
Dwayne Johnson was made fun of for his ambitions in Hollywood
Dwayne Johnson is undeniably one of the biggest bankable stars in Hollywood. But his dreams and ambitions were viewed as inconceivable at the beginning of his Hollywood career. During his motivational speech at the LA Lakers event, Dwayne Johnson disclosed that his talent agency mocked him for aiming for a career bigger than Will Smith’s.
“I said, I want to accomplish the world, I want the world and I want Will Smith’s career, but I want to do it bigger and better. And they looked at me like I had three heads. And they were like, Umm, yea, okay.”
Fast-forward to the present day, The Walking Tall actor has successfully surpassed Will Smith in terms of success on the silver screen and wealth. It only goes to show that Johnson always sets out to realize his dreams.
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