Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, star of the forthcoming "Hercules" movie, spoke candidly about his own battle with depression in a new interview.
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter for an upcoming cover story, Johnson, 42, whose movies grossed $1.3 billion last year, recalled his failure to get drafted by the NFL as well as his family's eviction when he was a teenager.
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When he was 14 years old, "We were living in an efficiency that cost $120 a week," he told THR. "We come home, and there's a padlock on the door and an eviction notice. My mom starts bawling. She just started crying and breaking down. 'Where are we going to live? What are we going to do?'"
Johnson said he felt helpless, and that led to his interest in body building.
"It was about, 'What can I control with these two hands?' The only thing I could do was train and build my body. The successful men I knew were men who built their bodies."
At the age of 18, he received a full scholarship to the University of Miami as a football player. Things turned south after a few injuries, however, and with each injury came a new round of depression.
"I didn't know what it was. I didn't want to do a thing, I didn't want to go anywhere. I was crying constantly. Eventually you reach a point where you are all cried out," he told THR.
After the NFL passed him by, he joined the Canadian Football League and was subsequently cut.
"There was no injury," he explained. "It's just, 'That's it. You're not good enough.' That was very sobering."
The 6-foot-5-inch, 252-pound Johnson was praised on social media after telling the tale of his past vulnerability, with many thanking him for helping destigmatize depression and bring it back into public discussion.
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