Dwayne Johnson: 'There are no drawbacks to fame for me'
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson has learned to live with everything that being famous entails and will never moan about the negatives because it changed his life.
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson insists he cannot complain about fame because it has turned his life around.
The 51-year-old wrestler-turned-actor grew to become one of the greatest wrestlers of all time and is among the highest-paid actors in Hollywood, but before then he was struggling to put food on the table and keep a roof over his head.
In a video from the gym, Dwayne gave a lengthy response to one of his followers who asked him what the "drawbacks to fame".
He began: "For me, the drawbacks are, there are no drawbacks to fame.
"I have been a lucky son of a b**** to have been famous for a long time, and I realise that there are no drawbacks to fame because I remember how s*** once was.
"Back in the day, the alternative to fame [was] not being famous, and I couldn't pay rent, I was struggling to figure out who I was, I was broke as f***. I try my best to keep all of that in the forefront of my mind."
Not all stars are pleased to have their lives plastered across the internet and be followed by paparazzi, but Dwayne insists he'd rather that than be broke.
He went on: "I never let that go.
"I always say, 'I'm a day away from being evicted again' so it keeps me hungry. So for me, there are no drawbacks to fame. I got a lot of celebrity friends who completely disagree with me, and that's okay. We have had healthy discussions about fame. And that's okay, having a difference of opinion. It invites dialogue. It invites discussion. But for me, there are no drawbacks."
One thing he misses is being able to just jump in his car and go shopping without a commotion.
Dwayne said: "I miss going to the mall. I miss going to the stores. Just hopping in my car and going [to the] grocery store, drug store, the mall, wherever.
"All that has gone away years and years ago, so anytime I go, it's a thing. Gotta call ahead, logistics, security."
The 'Jungle Cruise' star also advised young talent not to "chase fame".
He continued: "I always tell people this. There's young digital influencers out there, social media, entertainment, singers, athletes, all these young bloods who think, 'Hey, I gotta chase fame, greatness equals fame, fame equals greatness.' And I always share this with everybody I talk to.
"I learned over the years to not chase fame, and I share that with people today who are on the come-up.
"Don't chase fame. Chase being great at something. Chase greatness. Fame will come, or it won't, but if you're great at something, that's enduring."
