By Chloe Melas, CNN
Updated 2127 GMT (0527 HKT) December 29, 2021
(CNN)Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has plentifulness of reasons to toast 2021 with immoderate Teremana.
He produced and starred successful 2 deed films, "Jungle Cruise" and "Red Notice," debuted his biographical sitcom "Young Rock," saw unprecedented income maturation with his Teremana tequila, and became the astir followed American antheral connected Instagram with 285 cardinal followers.
At 49, with grit, charisma and determination to "deliver the goods," Johnson has segued from nonrecreational wrestler to movie star, large entrepreneur and idiosyncratic astir fractional of America would similar to spot arsenic the adjacent president of the United States, according to 1 poll.
CNN spoke with Johnson this week astir his monumental year. He addressed hype astir his imaginable instrumentality to the "Fast and Furious" franchise and his imaginable governmental ambitions. He besides offered a glimpse astatine however helium plans to apical his blockbuster 2021.
Our conversation, which has been lightly edited for travel and clarity, follows below.
You've seen immoderate large successes, immoderate highlights? Reflecting back, thing you privation you would person done differently?
"I worked hard, had immoderate luck connected my broadside and was capable to execute a fewer things successful 2021. A fewer highlights that travel to mind, 1 would beryllium completing 2 monolithic Seven Bucks Productions films, 'Red Notice' and 'Black Adam.' (Set for merchandise successful 2022.) Both presented a batch of challenges during Covid, but similar truthful galore businesses retired there, we adjust, get clarity, make our caller Covid strategy and get to work. Seven Bucks besides conscionable completed -- 2 weeks agone -- our 2nd play of NBC's 'Young Rock.' I'm rather arrogant of everyone's efforts and talents to get the occupation done and present quality. And the different businesses successful my portfolio person shown tremendous maturation and moved on nicely successful 2021 -- Teremana Tequila, ZOA Energy, Project Rock and XFL. As for thing I would've done otherwise successful 2021, sure, I would've listened to my gut erstwhile it was telling maine to dilatory down a bit. Enjoy these moments adjacent much with your household and friends, due to the fact that astatine the extremity of the time these joyful moments are the s*** that truly matters successful life. Sorry to cuss but that's the truth. Good acquisition to ever perceive to that dependable successful your gut."
"Red Notice" received an tremendous magnitude of praise, from some those successful the manufacture and with audiences worldwide by becoming Netflix's astir watched movie successful the satellite for 2021, and astir watched of each time. What bash you deliberation made "Red Notice" truthful successful?
"First thing, we made a large movie for families astir the satellite to enjoy. That's the bottommost line. Deliver the goods. I ever accidental I tin bring radical to the creation and with the spot they person successful me, they'll creation 1 song. But past it's up to the prime I'm offering that volition marque them creation each night. We made a large movie and radical are dancing to it. Rawson Thurber did a tremendous occupation of penning and directing 'Red Notice' that attracted 2 of the biggest stars successful the world, successful Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds, and a dude who's lone celebrated for his tattoos, raised eyebrow and a fanny pack. But dumb jokes aside, it's a monumental accomplishment for our Seven Bucks Productions to nutrient the astir watched Netflix movie of each time. 'Red Notice' was my archetypal movie connected a streaming level truthful it was critically important for myself and our Seven Bucks Company to present and determination the streaming needle. What a beatified s*** accomplishment and congrats to everyone involved."
What are your thoughts connected the streaming wars among platforms and its interaction connected theatrical releases, does this play a portion erstwhile discussing releases for your projects arsenic a producer?
"I accidental this with large clarity, we are successful a tremendous clip successful our Hollywood manufacture arsenic we are successful the oculus of a monolithic accidental to perceive and larn what our assemblage and our consumers privation and conscionable arsenic important, however they privation it. I judge powerfully successful our theatrical concern and privation america to proceed to enactment hard to support that theatrical acquisition for our consumers. When a movie is done right, antheral it's axenic magic successful the theaters. And I besides consciousness powerfully that it's our occupation arsenic creators, producers and deliverers of amusement to ever instrumentality attraction of and spell to the people. I effort and attack streaming platforms versus theatrical with an entrepreneurial tone and vision. The powerfulness of possibilities and the needs of the audience, consumers first, champion signifier volition emerge. We conscionable person to beryllium smart, unfastened and flexible to alteration and perceive to what the radical accidental they want."
There was a batch of buzz that you whitethorn rejoin the "Fast and the Furious" franchise. We saw that Vin Diesel precocious posted helium wants you back. We cognize you addressed perchance returning months ago, but were you amazed by Vin's post?
"I was precise amazed by Vin's caller post. This past June, erstwhile Vin and I really connected not implicit societal media, I told him straight - and privately - that I would not beryllium returning to the franchise. I was steadfast yet cordial with my words and said that I would ever beryllium supportive of the formed and ever basal for the franchise to beryllium successful, but that determination was nary accidental I would return. I privately spoke with my partners astatine Universal arsenic well, each of whom were precise supportive arsenic they recognize the problem.
Vin's caller nationalist station was an illustration of his manipulation. I didn't similar that helium brought up his children successful the post, arsenic good arsenic Paul Walker's death. Leave them retired of it. We had spoken months agone astir this and came to a wide understanding. My extremity each on was to extremity my astonishing travel with this unthinkable 'Fast & Furious' franchise with gratitude and grace. It's unfortunate that this nationalist dialog has muddied the waters. Regardless, I'm assured successful the 'Fast' beingness and its quality to consistently present for the audience, and I genuinely privation my erstwhile co-stars and unit members the champion of luck and occurrence successful the adjacent chapter."
As the astir followed American antheral connected Instagram, bash you deliberation thing has changed with however you person approached your ain societal media this past year?
"That reply is yes. I inactive person my anchoring guidelines I follow: Be authentic, beryllium existent and effort to marque definite each societal station has a prime and meaning down it, offering immoderate takeaway for radical and being alert astir ne'er wasting anyone's clip with a bulls***post astir nothing. But I'll archer you, arsenic we navigate our mode done Covid's harsh ebbs and flows, I've recovered myself trying to usage a overmuch lighter interaction with my words since things connected societal media are truthful easy triggering these days, clickbait stuff. Lighter interaction and prime I effort to usage regular erstwhile connecting with radical done societal media. And if I tin marque you laughter and smile, I'll effort and bash that too."
Was becoming a tequila mogul ever portion of the plan? What's adjacent for Teremana successful 2022 and beyond?
"Tequila mogul was not portion of the archetypal strategy, but I'll definite instrumentality it. Our numbers were disclosed earlier this week and our Teremana maturation is genuinely unprecedented. Our income person exceeded implicit 600,000 nine-liter cases and successful our spirits industry, that's an all-time grounds for archetypal twelvemonth sales. For context, George Clooney sold his Casamigos tequila marque to Diageo for $1 cardinal dollars and they were selling astir 170,000 cases. Teremana is presently selling implicit 600,000 cases. So you tin extrapolate the mathematics and valuation, astounding maturation and I deliberation it reflects our 'highest successful prime and champion successful taste' mantra. I'm blessed but not satisfied with what we've been capable to execute with Teremana tequila frankincense far. The enactment is conscionable beginning. My extremity for 2022 and beyond is to marque Teremana a existent planetary tequila brand. We person the enactment and planetary organisation expertise with our Mast-Jäegermeister partners, our Teremana squad and conscionable arsenic important, we person the ambition and enactment ethic. "
You've said successful the past, I judge specifically successful your interrogation for your caller Vanity Fair cover, that you would not tally for President successful 2024 due to the fact that you "don't cognize a happening astir politics." Yet, according to a canvass this spring, astir fractional of Americans would ballot successful your favor. Could "The Rock" inactive beryllium a imaginable statesmanlike campaigner successful the future?
"Well, I deliberation that canvass of astir fractional of Americans being successful favour of maine moving for president is truthful humbling. It sits maine down and I don't cognize immoderate different mode to picture it. To person a small quality to perchance galvanize our state is humbling, precise humbling. Might beryllium the Teremana talking present but I inactive don't cognize a damn happening astir being a politician. I don't cognize if I person that person cistron successful my DNA. Leader? Yes. Patriot? All time long. Politician? No.
I consciousness the champion presumption I tin beryllium successful close present is to beryllium a trusted, nonjudgmental spot for people; careless of what broadside of the thoroughfare you unrecorded on, what colour you are, what you bash for a living, however you take to unrecorded your life, what your slope relationship says, whether you thrust a car oregon instrumentality the bus. I don't care. None of that matters to me. Just enactment hard, instrumentality attraction of your family, beryllium bully to people, beryllium benignant to people, beryllium consecutive up, grant your connection and ever [have] immoderate amusive on the way. And don't beryllium an a**hole. Like I said, I don't deliberation I'd marque a bully politician."
Do you person a New Year's extremity oregon resolution?
"To beryllium honest, I usually don't person New Year's resolutions. I cognize I dependable similar an a**hole present but I'm the feline who usually conscionable does it passim the year. Whatever alteration needs to happen, I'll get it done and determination on. But this past twelvemonth has been different. It's opened my eyes a spot much to existent alteration that needs to my attention. Work flow, enactment stream, what and who successful my beingness truly request my attention, what genuinely should beryllium getting maine retired of bed. I've reached a constituent successful my beingness this past twelvemonth wherever I realized conscionable however captious the thought and essence of clip is; who and what gets my clip these days. We don't get clip back, truthful successful 2022 and beyond, the people, the projects, the energy, the everything. Life. If it gets my clip and gets maine retired of bed, past I'll spell to slumber knowing it was worthy it and it was each clip wisely spent. Time is our top and astir invaluable currency."
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