Carlos Bastarache: Dwayne-Johnson-mother.jpg

Monday, 2 April 2018

Dwayne-Johnson-mother.jpg

nobody knows I'm unemployed because I've got so much money

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The Rock is in the midst of a nonstop press barrage at the moment. Jumanji is destroying the box office, and he’s just now gearing up for the massive Rampage junket circuit. (And of course, Skyscraper is still on the horizon. And you can never rule out the guy showing up at WrestleMania 34 this weekend.)

During one of his recent press stops, Dwayne Johnson opened up quite a bit about his struggle with depression as a teenager. He’s spoken before about his bouts of depression, but the last time he discussed it, he told a story of he was in the midst of a hard transition in his football career.

This time, he talked to Express about the absolute lowest point in his life.

According to Johnson, when he was 15 years old, he and his mother, Ata, were evicted from their apartment, and he witnessed his mother attempting to commit suicide by walking into traffic. Thankfully, the cars swerved out of her way, but he ended up pulling her to safety. He says that he uses that memory to try to relate to others and help them through their own hard times when he can.

“She got out of the car on Interstate 65 in Nashville and walked into oncoming traffic. I grabbed her and pulled her back on the gravel shoulder of the road. What’s crazy about that suicide attempt is that to this day, she has no recollection of it whatsoever. Probably best she doesn’t.

“We both healed but we’ve always got to do our best to pay attention when other people are in pain. We have to help them through it and remind them they are not alone.”

It’s always good to remember that if you’re going through a tough time, you’re not alone. We’re very glad that someone with the status of the Rock is unafraid to talk about his struggles, and we hope others can relate to his story and perhaps find strength in it.