Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is really considering running for President

THE Sexiest Man Alive is seriously considering running for the White House. And the latest polling suggests he would beat Trump.

DWAYNE ‘The Rock’ Johnson has conquered the wrestling world, become an A-list movie star, and been named the Sexiest Man Alive, but now he’s set his sights on bigger things.

News.com.au caught up with him in Miami, where he was promoting the new Baywatch movie, and it seems he’s seriously considering running for the top job in the White House.

“The talk of me running for President started about two years ago when the campaigns were kicking off for the presidential election,” he says.

“I don’t get overwhelmed by much, but it’s been unbelievable to see this groundswell happen from the support in the media, and from the American public. It’s extremely flattering, I have to admit.”

Former reality TV star President Trump has certainly proved that political credentials are not necessary to get elected. And Public Policy Polling released a report this week stating that Johnson would lead Trump 42/37 in a prospective 2020 race, given current data.

Johnson says, “I think the reaction is reflective of a large part of America wanting to see better leadership, greater poise from our leaders, and less noise.”

And what would make Johnson the right man for the job?

“I have been in the public eye for a very long time now. I think over the years I’ve become a guy who people can relate to. I get up and work hard every day, I try to find solutions to any problems that may come up, and I am in the business of taking care of people. So I think all of those elements led to this groundswell.”

Well he’s already entertaining the troops. Here his is at Joint Base Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Picture: Christopher Polk/Getty Images for Spike

His Baywatch co-star Zac Efron commented that his support for Johnson would be conditional — after he heard about his policies. “Smart answer,” Johnson nods. “Look, when the time comes — if the time comes — I will be as prepared as I possibly can, and surround myself with really, really bright, hungry minds. I am a fairly quick study and would do my best to learn as much about policy as I could, certainly a lot more than I know today.”

Should Johnson pursue a political career, the skeletons he has hidden in the closet, if any, would no doubt be brought into the light. “Well, I never had a vice. I never had a drinking problem even though I like to drink. I’m not a drug guy, so I never had those demons like a lot of my friends did,” he says. “I’m not worried.”

It seems Johnson is following in the footsteps of friend Arnold Schwarzenegger, body builder-turned-movie star who famously became governor of California. “We talked about political ambitions back when he was governor in the mid-2000s. He asked me if I was interested in that kind of thing. I said, yes, possibly. We had these really cool, great, long discussions about it,” he pauses.

“You know, maybe in three years you and I might be having a different conversation.”

Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron in a scene from the new Baywatch movie.

But right now, he’s still thinking about movies.

The Rock was chosen for his role in Baywatch as lifesaver Mitch Buchannon, originally played by David Hasselhoff, partly due to his sex appeal. He deadpans, “Well, I am the sexiest man alive, yes (referring to his People magazine title in 2016). But seriously, look at the cast. They are alien-level beautiful. Including Zac,” he laughs.

But this is not the same Baywatch we remember from the small screen. “Well, the original was created as a drama,” says Johnson. “It started to build from there in a lot of fun ways, but this movie is an R-rated action comedy. And even though this is not a movie for kids, they will sneak in the way we did when we were kids trying to see a Rated R movie.” (R-rating in the US is the equivalent of MA15+ in Australia).

Johnson may be all smiles these days, but he wasn’t always like that. In fact, he’s suffered several bouts of depression. A troubled teenager, he was involved in a theft ring and arrested several times. Poverty-stricken, he and his mother were evicted from their apartment in Hawaii due to her inability to pay the rent.

“I went through a depression multiple times. The first time was in college, and the most recent was when I went through a divorce. That was a tough one.

“We all go through that to some degree or another, but that was a tough one for me because at that time our daughter was four years old. I knew the decision was going to impact her life. That was hard,” he says.

“So I think the key for me was to know that I wasn’t alone. People go through it, and oftentimes I think if you can recognise that you are going through it, and you are going to get through the other side of the pain, or the other side of the sludge as we like to say in therapy, then there is some sort of greatness and some sort of happiness. So I have been a big proponent of being open and expressing these feelings with a lot of people, because I found that it is very helpful.”

Johnson was married to Dany Garcia from 1997 to 2007. Their daughter Simone (now a teenager), is big sister to Jasmine, born December 2015, who he is raising with Lauren Hashian; Johnson met Hashian in 2006 while filming The Game Plan.

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and his new love, singer Lauren Hashian. Picture: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Clearly, he’s loving this stage of fatherhood again. “It’s the best,” he gushes. “She is 17 months old and she continues to make me better, remind me of how you really don’t know as much as you think you know. We have got to continue to just be better.” He smiles. “But she is phenomenal.”

And how hands-on is he when it comes to nappy-changing duties?

“Are you kidding me? I am in it. Diaper changing, that’s my thing,” he laughs. “That’s my jam. The trick is to get her to stay still. I’ve mastered the art of changing the diaper as she’s standing up even as much as when she’s lying down. It’s a lot of fun.”

Originally published as Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is really considering running for President