Dwayne Johnson, as Driver, stars in FASTER, an Alliance Films' release.
Welcome to the set of Faster.
Ditching the tutus and family-friendly vibe of his recent big screen outings (Tooth Fairy, Race to Witch Mountain, Planet 51) the man formerly known as The Rock is settling back into the genre that first brought him big-screen fame and fortune and he couldn’t be happier to sink his teeth into this meaty role.
“The story about Faster is a story essentially of two brothers,” Johnson explains, flashing a set of perfectly straight and almost impossibly white teeth. “One of the brothers, my brother, is ripped away from me. He is taken away, he’s murdered and I have to go away and I have to serve 10 years in prison and when I get out – the four men who are responsible for taking his life suffer the consequences of that. So by the time I get out of jail and we meet [my character] Driver, he has one mission which is to systematically find these individuals and…hunt them down. And there are really wonderful plot twists and turns. I’m not going to divulge the twist now but really…it’s wonderfully written.”
![]() BFFs? Myself and Dwayne, on-set |
Penned by the Gayton brothers, that would be Joe and Tony, and directed by George Tillman (Notorious, Men of Honor), Johnson compares the straightforward, uncomplicated storytelling style of this film to oldies like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and the Steve McQueen classic Bullitt.
When asked how it feels to be wielding hefty firearms – his favourite being a ruger named The Bear for its ability to stop the big beast dead in its tracks – he reveals that while he’s happy to be catering to an older crowd, it’s all part of the process.
“This is my tenth year of acting, so the goal was always to work in as many different genres as I could and hopefully find success, hopefully make good movies so I stepped away from the action genre to become a better actor and you know, I wanted to do comedies, I wanted to do drama. I wanted to go into the family genre as well. These movies too, have been invaluable to me [and] coming back into the action genre, not only has it made me a better actor but it’s so much fun and it’s a space that I love to be in, [especially when it comes to] kicking ass.”
Though he became a household name doing just that in the wrestling ring, as a loud-mouthed character dripping with bravado, the man behind The Rock is genuine and unhurried, with epic levels of charisma, as expected, and possesses almost an outsider perspective on the business of Hollywood.
“The journey has been fantastic. You know, you often hear that, we hear that a lot. You know, the journey, it’s all about the journey…and it is. I came into acting in a very non-traditional way. My parents weren’t studio executives or actors so I had to learn the business very quickly. I had to learn it on my feet and I had the wonderful opportunity of, though I didn’t go to acting school or Julliard, I came in learning baptism by fire.”
You'll be able to see Johnson in all his ass-kicking glory when Faster comes to a theatre near you in November.
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Head here for more on our Faster set visit.
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