Dwayne Johnson has established himself among the biggest stars in Hollywood. Given that he has already conquered the wrestling world, his journey to venture into acting was not easy but he eventually pulled through. However, the success he gained after working on some major projects helped his acting career rise to a significant height.

Dwayne Johnson

American actor, Dwayne Johnson
We all know by now that he has won immense stardom by working in the action-comedy genre. It can be said that it’s his best forte. However, he once decided to leave the project which starred Mark Wahlberg.

'Transformers' Director Had to Beg Dwayne Johnson to Not Ditch Mark Wahlberg After He Threatened to Quit at The Last Minute

Dwayne Johnson Was Ready to Leave Mark Wahlberg in Pain & Gain
Dwayne Johnson and Mark Wahlberg in Pain & Gain

Dwayne Johnson and Mark Wahlberg in Pain & Gain
Pain & Gain, a 2013 action-comedy genre that featured Hollywood’s charming hunks, Dwayne Johnson, Mark Wahlberg, and Anthony Mackie. Everything was going great with pre-production, the cast was ready, and the director, Michael Bay got the green light to kick off principal photography in a week. But the least he would have expected was his actor quitting the project at such a crucial time.

It was he who eventually had to convince the Black Adam star to reconsider his decision and managed to keep him in the film. As per Cinemablend,

“He literally quit the week before. And he goes, ‘I can’t do this.’ And I’m like, ‘Dwayne, you are my secret weapon on this movie.’”
The director mentioned that he finally changed his mind when he wrote him a list of actors who were not willing to take the risk for his role.
“And I wrote him this long letter of all the actors I worked with who said they were scared to do something and how it turned out. And he goes, ‘Ok. Ok. Alright.’ He was brilliant in that movie, and it really is an amazing performance.”
Despite the last-minute troubles, he managed to film the entire project and had quite fun in the process.

Michael Bay Recalled Working With Pain & Gain Actors
Michael Bay

American film director, Michael Bay

Recalling his time while working on the 2013 film, he shared that the trio did quite fun moments attached to him. It was a cherishing memory for him as he shared,

“Mark Wahlberg – we’d get in a van, and I got Dwayne, we got a dead body, we got Anthony Mackie, and I got a camera and just a sound man. We are laughing, and Mark is driving illegally through the city, alright? And then like a cop would see him, and he goes, oh, ‘Hey, sweetheart.’ I mean, that’s fun’s. That guerrilla filmmaking, and I had a great time doing that.”
This project was the lowest-budget film of his colorful career after Bad Boys. Even the main actors had to cut off a big chunk from their paychecks to minimize the budget. Their efforts eventually paid off as the film managed to gross $86 million worldwide.