Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson opens up about ‘complicated’ relationship with father

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has opened up about the “incredibly complicated” relationship portrayed in his upcoming TV show.

WWE icon Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has opened up about his “incredibly complicated” relationship with his father.

Much like his celebrity son, Rocky Johnson was a celebrated wrestler, announced as an inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2008.

Himself and Tony Atlas were the first Black champions in WWE history when they won the tag team titles in 1983.

He died in January last year at age 75.

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The “complicated” father-son relationship is explored in Dwayne’s upcoming comedy Young Rock, an NBC show based on the actor’s formative years.

Although the television series is lighthearted in nature, Johnson conceded the process was “incredibly tough”.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Lauren Hashian, Ata Johnson and Rocky Johnson at the Hand And Footprint Ceremony.

“Growing up, and you know we specifically went with these timelines in my life that were very defining times at 10 years old, 15 and 18 … there’s a lot of things in between those years that took place,” Johnson said, as reported by People.

“It was complicated and the relationship that I had with my dad was incredibly complicated — that was fuelled by tough love.

“My dad was kicked out of his house at 13 and he was homeless, so that then shaped the man who then raised me.

“And in that complication came an extraordinary life that was full of travel. I lived in 13 different states by the time I was 13 years old, also lived in New Zealand.”

Rocky Johnson is portrayed by Joseph Lee Anderson in Young Rock, and Dwayne praised the American actor’s “tremendous” performance.

“My dad died one year ago this month last year, he died suddenly, and he’s obviously featured throughout the show and Joseph, he did a tremendous job playing my dad,” Johnson said.

“He would have loved this, he would have loved this and he would have been so proud because for the first time, certainly in prime time, we are showcasing this world, that he and all of his brothers of the rings, so to speak, of those men in the ‘70s and the ‘80s that they gave their life to.

Dwayne Johnson.

“To showcase it like this, and to showcase it through the lens of something that’s positive and know what it meant … the world of pro wrestling isn’t always looked at through that lens in a positive way. There’s a lot of positive stuff that we could take out of this.

“I can reflect that the series really allowed, in a way, me to appreciate those hard times that much more because through the brilliance of the (executive producer) Nahnatchka Khan and (writer) Jeff Chiang.”

According to Entertainment Weekly, the series will also showcase Johnson’s run for President of the United States in the year 2032.