The Rock Gets Incredibly Candid About His Bout With Depression And How It Led To A Career-Defining Moment

It’s easy to look at a guy like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and assume he’s always been a positive and motivated person. For the past ten years, the former WWE and movie star has been a living, breathing motivational poster come to life.

According to a recent interview for Oprah’s Master Class, The Rock wasn’t always mister positive. After playing football for four years at Miami, Johnson was passed over by the NFL. He played for the Canadian Football League for a short time, and was ultimately cut from his team. At 23, The Rock found himself living in his parents’ small apartment, battling depression.

The Rock explains how a person battling depression just needs to keep a little a faith. Faith that something good is coming just around the corner and how you’ve just got to battle through and wait. His waiting led to a new career. Johnson got a phone call from the head coach of the Calgary Stampeders, the team that had cut him a month earlier, and the coach invited Johnson back to the team.

The Rock turned the offer down.

He knew in his gut he was done playing football. So he told his dad he was done and that he wanted to try wrestling. It wasn’t that crazy of an idea since his father was Rocky Johnson, an accomplished wrestler in the WWF for many years. The Rock’s father, like many fathers, told him he was being stupid and throwing his football career away.

Well, you know how it turned it.

[via Fox Sports]