ENGLISH SPEECH THE ROCK : BE YOURSELF
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The Rock: Thank you, Oprah, for having me. Thank you, guys. Oprah: So, your father was very strict. Now, here's the thing. You've gone one on one with some fierce competitorsin the ring, right? But now you were in one of the scariest situationsany man can be in raising three daughters. The Rock: Yes. Yes, extremely scary. Oprah: And are you a strict Dad? The Rock: I am. Not super strict, but discipline is important. But also, you know, I'll go back to my dad. My dad loved me with a small capacity in whichhe was capable of. So, I learned from that and so with my daughters,I want to be as full and as present with the love that I give them. Oprah: Present, yes. That's what we were talking about.
What do you want to make sure that they getthat you didn't get? And it's so interesting when you have children,I've seen this from a lot of people who, you didn't get what you needed. You just didn't get what you needed becauseof what The Rock just said, your parents didn't have the capacity to give it to you. And now that you're older, you have to learnto give that to yourself and to be able to give that to your children in a way that youdon't carry on what was done to you. So, what is it you want your daughters toknow about the way you love them? The Rock: I want my daughters to know thatI love them unconditionally, truly, unconditionally without condition.
And I have a daughter who's 18 years old,her name is Simone. Jasmine who just turned four, baby, Tiana,thank you who is getting ready to turn two. And I am as I told my 18-year-old daughter,Simone, I said I love you. I'm going to tell you I love you every day,I'm going to text you I love you… Oprah: So, you're one of those who say thewords out loud? The Rock: Yes, because I didn't get that. And I look at you, I love you and I'm goingto text you. But I also told her, I'm unattached. You don't even have to text me back. Right? You could text me back. It's fine. But you don't have to, like it's okay. It's without condition. It's unconditional love. And I also want to teach my daughters thevalue of hard work.
More importantly, I want to teach my daughtersthe value of being kind, and how important that is. Oprah: Well, you know, I read that your father,you used to watch him in training, and he would say, “If I'm going to get up at 6:00AM, you're going to get up at 6:00 AM.” So, what do you think you've got the mostfrom him? Was it your work ethic? What was it? The Rock: It was definitely my work ethic. My dad was a man who, against the odds, madeit. But he would get up at usually 5:00, 5:30in the morning, and he would say if I get up, you're going to get up too. He would drag me to the gym and by the way,I'm five years old, and he would drag me to the gym. Yes.
And I wouldn't work out, but he would justmake sure that I was there and be with him, and that was our time that we could spendtogether. But I would say my work ethic from my dad,my dad always said too that, regardless of what you do in life and where you go, respectis going to be given when it's earned. And you have to go out and earn it every singleday. Oprah: Yeah. So, your dad taught you a lot. I wonder, what have your daughters taughtyou? The Rock: My daughters taught me how to beI think more caring and more sensitive and more selfless. Oprah: Yeah. Were you there for all of them when they wereborn? The Rock: I was right there.
Oprah: Right there? The Rock: I mean, right there. Yes. Oprah: I mean, you were right there. The Rock: I was right there. Yes. And bring it on. I mean, this is our moment. Yes. Oprah: Yeah. Yeah. And is that a life-changing moment, when thathappens for you? The Rock: It's the greatest thing that I haveever experienced in my life. And it gave me such a profound respect formy babies’ mamas. I have two. I was once married and now I'm happily married. Lauren is back there. We've known each other for 13 years now butI have, it has been the most profound experience of my life because also too, you know, whenyou meet... As a man, you meet someone, you meet a woman,and this is going to be the one and you want to get married and my first marriage didn'twork out.
But then the birth of a child and what thatdoes and the lens perspective that just shifts and it just gives me a new profound respectfor again, their moms as... Oprah: So, it didn't work out with the marriage,but then she became your business partner, your first marriage? The Rock: She did. Yes, yes. Oprah: And you still are. The Rock: We still are. So, my ex-wife, Dany, we, the marriage didn'twork out. And it was just one of those things whereit wasn't an ugly divorce, it was just marriage wasn't in our cards. We’re great friends. Marriage wasn't in our cards, but we bothhad an appetite for business and to accomplish things. And we thought, “Well, what if we continuedto do business together and do you think we can?” And it felt like we could make something happenand we did.
Oprah: I know you didn't grow up with a lotof money. And I read the story about when, I think youwere 15, and there was an eviction notice on the door and how that made a big impressionon you, right? The Rock: It did. Yes. Oprah: Now, you’re one of the highest-paidactors in the world. The Rock: Thank you. I do all right. Thank you. Oprah: You do all right. And does that title, the sexiest man alive,the highest paid in the... What do those titles mean if anything? You're the greatest, you're the most popular,you're the most followed, you're the most, you’re the most, the most, the most, themost. The Rock: It's great for the ego. It's wonderful. Oprah: Yeah, the better question is, how doyou keep your ego in check when all of that is happening around? The Rock: Sure. Very important. People I have around me and how importantthat is... Oprah: Do you have anybody who can tell youthe truth at this point? The Rock: Yeah, she's called my wife. Yes. Oprah: Okay. Lauren can tell you the truth? The Rock: Yes, Lauren can tell me the truth. But by the way, and this is where it's thetricky thing for us to being in this position, is we want to make sure that we have peoplearound us who are inspired to do well and reach for and continue to share our vision,but also at time say, well, I'm not quite sure if that's the right thing to do.
So, look, I've had a wonderful career, especiallycoming from being evicted. And those titles are nice, and everythingis fine. But honestly, I'm so grateful to be in theposition I’m in and I never take anything for granted. I try not to… Oprah: Aren’t you glad that you were onceevicted, because it gives you such an appreciation for what you have now? The Rock: It just gives such perspective. When we were 14 years old, we lived in Hawaiiand we lived in a small efficiency apartment. And we were, my mom and I came home, and I'llnever forget the rent was $180 a week. And there was an eviction… Oprah: A week? The Rock: A week. And that was an eviction notice on the door. And it was, this was the one, it was the finaleviction notice, like, that's the one.
My mom started crying, and I never forgotin that moment, it was a seminal moment for me because I felt like I never want to bein this position again. What can I do? So, at 14 years old, I thought, well, theheroes in my life, Muhammad Ali, for example, professional wrestlers, they're all men whohave worked hard with their hands and they built their body. Yes, that's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna do what my dad taught me and theseother heroes, I'm gonna go build my body so, we're never evicted again, but being evicted,by the way, has as you were saying has not only given me just great perspective, butalso great gratitude, but also my team and my family, we laugh at it, but I feel thisway like, “Oh, well, you know, we're a month away from being evicted. I gotta go to work.” Like, I still have that in my head. Oprah: You still have that? The Rock: I still have that in my head, youknow, but it keeps you grounded by the way. Yeah, because that's why the most this andthe most that again, it's wonderful. But the alternative is what I once was. Oprah: And it also doesn't change the wayyou're wired because I still save toast. I do.
I will save a toast rather than throw it away. And I know there's going to be more toast,but I still do because there's something in me because when we were growing up, we hadto save it. You know, you weren't allowed to like throwfood away. So, that was a really big deal. So, here's the deal. You have now the... you get the biggest paychecks,you have all this money, acclaim, fame, you didn't have that growing up. How do you raise children who have good sense,and are also kind when they have everything? Because part of what made you who you are,is having had that eviction notice and having not had everything. So, how do you do that, how are you planningto do that with your children? The Rock: So, for example, with our 18-year-olddaughter, it was really important that we share those stories, share the stories aboutbeing evicted.
Her mom's parents were immigrants who cameover from Cuba. It's important that we've always shared thosestories and also, we live, we try and keep it as simple as we possibly can. I live, we have a farm in Virginia, happilyto say that I've moved my family here to Atlanta, so… Oprah: Yaay! The Rock: Place 30, 45 minutes away whereit's very quiet, but also just making sure that we continue to instill in the babiesand the kids the value of $1 and what it means and the value of food and always saying howgrateful we are and the things that we're grateful for, especially at that young age. Oprah: So, I want to know, how is successdifferent from the way you imagined it would be? The Rock: I never imagined this. I, at one time when I was a kid, I did feelin my heart and in my gut, that I was... that I thought, I think the world's going to hearfrom me. I don't know how, but I do feel that way. But I never thought in my mind, it was thislevel of success or fame even.
It was, I don't know how but the world isgoing to hear from me. So, you know, which is maybe why you know,at times, I could walk around and I could look at things like I'm a big kid, like everythingcan at times can be like I'm in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, where I'm just really inawe of everything that's really happening around me. Oprah: What's the first thing you splurgedon when you realize you had enough to splurge? The Rock: Okay. So, all right. The first thing I splurged on, so when I wasa kid, 14 years old, 13, 14 years old, in my mind, what it meant to be successful, itwas a Rolex watch, right. So, there was such a valuable lesson out ofthis. So, I thought for years oh, wait, everyone,every successful man has a Rolex watch and has diamonds in it.
So, when I finally was making a little bitof money, and this was in 1999, and I thought, okay, and by the way, I was still living inan apartment paying monthly rent but again. Oprah: Oh, you renting and buying a Rolex? The Rock: I was just renting, horrible financial… Oprah: You should definitely if you're buyinga Rolex, okay. The Rock: Yes. This is what not to do. So, I thought, this is it. I'm gonna splurge and I went, and I got myselfa Rolex. And I wore it at that time I was wrestling. I was in the ring, not for a match, but Iwas doing an interview in the ring. And I wore it in the ring and a melee brokeout, which always happens in the wild world of professional wrestling. One of the wrestlers fell on the Rolex whenit came off, it broke, live TV and you see me, “Oh my gosh, my Rolex.” And I'm supposed to be in the moment and wrestlingthese other guys.
“Oh, no. My Rolex.” Like, you can see the tape I'm trying to getmy Rolex and somebody's like kicking me in the ribs while I’m trying to get it. So, I finally got my Rolex back. I go backstage, I look at it, I'm heartbrokennow. This is my thing. And I go home that night and I remember immediatelythinking this is a sign. And I… Oprah: Oh, I believe in signs, you know. The Rock: Yes, it's a sign and I don't needit. And it wasn't right for me at that time, andI never got anything like that again. Oprah: And so now do you just, do splurgecarefully? The Rock: I do. I'm not a big bling guy or anything like that. And I always want to just make sure that nowthe splurge is usually with property. Like we have two properties that way, because... Oprah: I believe in real estate. The Rock: Yes, Yes, you do. Yes. Oprah: I do, I Yes. I love property the way some women love shoes,you know? I do.
I do. Because God isn't making any more land. Okay. The Rock: That's right. Oprah: This is what we got here on the planetEarth. You're not getting any more. The Rock: Yeah, that's right. And also, the properties are our anchor. It's where we could be comfortable. And so that and I have a few pickup trucks. That’s it. Oprah: Just a few. So, I remember reading this, that it was likeWrestleMania 13 and you're still being called Rocky. And there were a bunch of fans at the timewho were jeering you and they were saying unkind things. And you used that moment and literally turnedon your heels and turned it around. And you know, this whole vision tour is aboutpeople who've been knocked down sometimes in life, everybody, you know, not in a ring,but have had those moments where you didn't feel like the rest of the world saw you forwho you needed to be. How were you able to turn that around? The Rock: Okay. So, thank you for bringing that up.
So, this is, it was a turning point in mycareer, and it really allowed me to grow. And it really allowed me just to be me andbe anchored in with who I am. So, when I first started wrestling, the ideawas, well, why don't you call yourself Rocky Maivia out of respect for your dad, RockyJohnson, and your grandfather, Peter Maivia. I hated the name. And I thought well, I just wanted to makemy own way. And I wanted to be independent. I love my family, but I don't want to do itlike that because it feels like I'm trying to leverage their fame. The powers that be said, “No, that's yourname.” I was also told, well, when you go out andyou wrestle, you have to smile. I want you to smile big. This is in the WWE. Oprah: Why are you smiling if you… The Rock: Because the idea was, I was a rookiein the wrestling business. I was a, what's called the wrestling businessas a term called babyface, which is a good guy. I was being groomed as a good guy, wrestler,young. The idea was you're grateful, grateful forthe opportunity so when you go out there, I want you to smile. You can't smile enough. And I thought, “Well, what if I lose? Nope. Yes, exactly.
You still gotta smile and it just didn't feelright. That didn't sit right with me. So, a few months later, the company made methe Intercontinental Champion. And then a month later we go into the annualbiggest event. It's like the SuperBowl of wrestling, WrestleManiaand it was WrestleMania 13. By the time I got to Chicago WrestleMania,16,000 people in the middle of the ring when I was in the ring and I'm supposed to be agood guy and they're supposed to cheer me; 16,000 people were chanting, “Rocky sucks”. Thank you for laughing, the few of you. But it was... Oprah: Can you hear the word sucks clearlywhen you're on the mat Rocky sucks? The Rock: Yes. Oprah: Yeah, Rocky sucks. The Rock: There's a reverb that happens inthe arena. And when in unison, not one person, “Yousuck.” 16,000. And I was, I remember laying there in thering and the referee said to me, “Don't look to them” And it was crippling for me. So, then, at that time, the powers that bethought, this isn't going to work. And for whatever reason, people are not likingyou, and they're not connecting with you.
And so, in that moment, it was very definingbecause I asked them if I could just be myself and if I could go out there, and if I canspeak to the crowd, and if I could just be myself and be authentic. And if I don't want to smile, I don't smile. If I want to laugh, I laugh. If I want to sing, I sing whatever it is,I just want to be me. Can I have that for one minute of live TVtime? The powers that be at that time, Vince McMahonsaid, “You got it.” So, on Raw live TV, I grabbed a microphoneand I said, “I may be a lot of things but sucks isn't one of them.” And I said something to the effect of basicallyit's not a this thing, it’s not a that thing, it's a me being myself thing. And before you know it, I guess the moralof the story is the importance and the power of finding your identity and being true towho you are. Even in that wild world of pro wrestling,it still applies to everyone in the room, and how powerful that could be because therewas a true shift and click moment. And I never looked back and I became, fortunately,the biggest draw that the business has ever seen.
Oprah: Wow. You know, I was talking earlier about intention,and you have acquired and continue to acquire a lot as you're continuing to build SevenBucks. What is the purest, highest, truest intentionbehind it all? Because I know, at the end of the day, itisn't all about fame and it isn't all about making money. So, the reason why you want to continue togrow and succeed is what? The Rock: To create an amazing experiencefor people. And that's important to me because that'san opportunity that I have to give joy and help, whether it transforms or a movie ora thing or whatever it is like the audience's experience, audience experience is somethingthat's deeply personal to me. And I think that goes back to when I would,so before the bright lights of the WWE, I was wrestling in a small wrestling company. I would wrestle in flea markets and use cardealerships.
You put a ring in the used car dealershipin the parking lot, but the reason why I bring that up and state fairs, but there was anintimacy there and even at that level, it was always about well, how can I send theaudience home happy and make people feel good? And by the way, I also feel like if you'rein a position to make people feel good, that is such a powerful thing. It's such a powerful. Oprah: Yeah. I know we did you for a masterclass for OWNand something you said really stuck with me, that the most powerful thing you can everdo is to be yourself. The Rock: Be yourself. Yes. Oprah: And you were talking about that earlier,about that moment that you learned to be authentic is when everything changed. The Rock: That's when everything changed. It's like a shift and click moment when we,for me when I realize there's great power and being myself, same thing for all of us.
But I do. I believe it's the most powerful thing thatwe could be. It's easier said than done because I struggledfor a long time trying to figure out well, what's my identity? And who am I? And, for example, when I got to Hollywood,the very first time I got to Hollywood in the early 2000s, I was told, again, well,if you want to be a star, then maybe you shouldn't talk about wrestling, maybe you shouldn'tgo to the gym as much, maybe you shouldn't raise your silly eyebrow. And you know, there was a lot of things likethat, and when you don't know you buy into it. And so, I thought, okay, well maybe... So, don't call yourself The Rock. Okay. So, again, I went through that in processfor years trying to figure out who I was. And then when you look back at my earliercareer, the films I was doing, they were good, but just not, you know, like “Oh, that'show I like to see him because he is his true authentic self.” Oprah: And have you had a sweet revenge moment? The Rock: Yeah, who sucks now, huh? Yeah. Oprah: One of those.
The Rock: One of those. Yes, it was... Okay. So, at this time when I felt like okay, Ireally need to make a change in my career, I need to be me, and I want to have the kindof career that is a global career. And I said, I am not quite sure how we'regoing to do it. But I need you to buy into the vision withme and I'm willing to put in the work with my own two hands as I was telling my agencyat that time in Hollywood. And they all looked at me like I had threeheads and they thought, well, we just don't... They've thought, okay, sure, sure, sure, sure,kind of placating me.
And then eventually I'd left them and thendecided, you know what? My name is The Rock and I come from the worldof professional wrestling. And I look the way I look. And I talk the way I talk, and I love to workout. And you know what, this is who I'm going tobe. And then here I am today. So, for those who said, we don't get it, kindof sweet revenge. Oprah: So, you posted on Instagram in November,“Joy and hope cost nothing” remember this? The Rock: Yes. Oprah: And yet, it's the most powerful giftthat we can all give. And that's the real magic to life. So, after everything that you've been through,particularly this past week, what are you now most grateful for today? The Rock: I'm most grateful for life. I'm most grateful for an opportunity, I’mmost grateful for my family.
I'm most... Gratitude is a big thing with me. I mean, it is truly my anchor. Yes… Oprah: Mine too. The Rock: It's my anchor, and I wake up witha heart full of gratitude, and even in death and even when things don't go right and eventhough I didn't make it to the NFL me, making it to the NFL was the best thing that neverhappened. Yes. Because it also gave me a great sense of gratitudeto be here. So, I would say that it would be... And also, I want to tell you, and I’ll tellyou this Oprah, and I want to tell you guys like I was so excited to come here and dothis with you and share a little bit of my story and background and any kind of wisdomthat I have learned over the years to share with you guys. But I want you to know that especially thisweek of just, you know, laying my dad to rest I needed this from you, and I thank you, truly. Thank you. Oprah: Thank you.
Thank you. The Rock: Thank you. Thank you so much. I did. I love you back, I truly do. Oprah: That’s a good mana y'all just gave. It’s a good mana. The Rock: Thank you. I did. I needed this and I needed this. I needed the love and this mana because whatI also realized is and I felt it coming in is that you know you go to Rock concerts andthings and events and wrestling matches or whatever. But you know, when you come to this room andyou have thousands, 12, 13, 15,000 people who have one intention which is to be betterand give so much love and receive so much love, it's a powerful thing. Oprah: Yeah, it is a very powerful thing. Thank you for being here today to share it.
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