Sports Illustrated has finally chosen to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to grace the cover of their magazine for a story about how his career and life “transformed Dwayne Johnson into Hollywood’s biggest star.”
Johnson released a statement on Instagram about his cover story, and talked about how his failed football career motivates him to work harder today. Here’s an excerpt from The Rock’s statement:
“Failure can be a cool & powerful thing.. When I was 15yrs old and started playing football, I had a dream that one day I’d play in the NFL and be on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Keep in mind, at 15, I also considered becoming a pro-boxer ’cause I thought I could be beat Mike Tyson who at that time, became the youngest ever Heavyweight Champ, so clearly my goals were extremely ambitious if not crack pipe level impossible.
I failed to make it to the NFL (as well as got cut from the Canadian Football League). But my football failure created a drive that still pushes me today.”
SportsIllustrated.com has a behind-the-scenes look at Johnson’s cover shoot, and talks about how he became the “highest-paid and “most versatile actor in Hollywood.”
