If there’s one role that Dwayne Johnson was born to play, it’s that of the titular hero in Brett Ratner’s Hercules. At a towering 6’5″ and 260 pounds, the actor has a massive screen presence and an imposing physicality. It’s actually surprising that it took Johnson this long to take on the role of the famous Greek god, but as he says in this exclusive interview, “I couldn’t of played this man at any other age than the age I’m at today.”
For this take on the classic myth, the story is set after Herc has completed his legendary twelve labors and sees him as a “sword-for-hire” who’s asked by King Cotys of Thrace to help him defeat a tyrannical warlord. In return, he’ll pay Hercules his weight in gold.
Last week, while Johnson was in Toronto promoting his new film, I had the chance to sit down for an exclusive interview with him. Friendly and eager to talk about his passion project, the actor discussed why it took so long to get Hercules made, how he trained and got in shape for the role, what Brett Ratner brought to the film, and much more.
Check it out below, and be sure to catch Hercules when it charges into theatres today!