What happened last night [at Wrestlemania]?
We got beat. I had a blast last night. It was a lot of fun, it was cool. Any time I get a chance to go back and have fun, connect with the audience and have that energy, especially in New York City, in the Garden, that's great.
Do you have a preference between wrestling or making movies?
I love wrestling because I grew up in wrestling; I have a passion for it, especially old-school wrestling. But I also have a passion for film, and the funny thing is that in film you hear about the acting bug: "he or she got bit by the acting bug." And I thought it was a bunch of BS until The Mummy Returns. Even with that small role -- didn't even speak English -- it was over in Morocco, and it was like two minutes on screen. And even then, I thought, 'This is amazing, this is really, really cool.' So I guess that's the acting bug.
Was this the first time you used a stick as your weapon?
Seen the chairs, steel cages?... First time, yeah.
Do you think it was hard casting a villain [Neil McDonough] when you are so big?
I don't think so. I'm a fairly big guy, but I'm not that big of a guy. I think perception at first was like, 'oh, Rock is like 6'10."' What are we gonna do? I think it's important to find a bad guy who is not just physically imposing, but a smart guy who actually believes in what he's doing -- and that's what Neil does.
There is a football scene in this movie, and in The Rundown you beat up a bunch of football players. Ever think about what it would have been like if you went to the NFL?
Every day. I count my blessings, but I think about that. I think what if I was a little faster, a little better, better instincts in football ...? What would happen if Warren Sapp didn't get traded from the offensive line to the defensive line ... what life would have been like if I was just a little bit better and I wasn't cut from the CFL. I'd be playing in the CFL now, like #74, Johnson, living in obscurity.
Do you feel like your character becomes a crooked cop once he takes over as sheriff and starts following in the footsteps of the previous sheriff?
I think that's the only way he could learn about drugs .... You mean the scene where I smash the taillights? Funny thing about that scene is I wasn't actually supposed to smash the taillight. So when you watch it back, you'll see the girl really jump high. I had the fake stick, and I asked if I was supposed to smash the taillights. No one told me. So, I told the prop guy I need the real one. I had no idea. I smashed the shit out of that -- that's why it took two times. Usually you see in movies, it's like, one, boom. I keep smashing to break it. There's this long silence, and Kevin [Bray, the director] on the bullhorn was like, 'I don't think you were supposed to smash the Porsche.' [Laughs] Now, Neil McDonough was like, 'Oh, shit.' I was like, 'Did we just buy this car?' Kevin is like, 'Yeah, for $100,000 we bought it.' But, no, I understand your question. I think for him, these guys tried to kill him and left him for dead. He didn't die. They tried to buy off the judge, and everyone was in on it. For him, it was all justifiable. It's justice outside the law.
