Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is best known for headlining blockbusters, but this week, he used his fame to help bring awareness to depression by discussing his own battle.
Johnson appeared in a new video for Oprah’s Master Class and talked about how important it is for anyone who is dealing with depression to realize that you aren’t the only one.
“I found that, with depression, one of the most important things you could realize is that you're not alone,” Johnson said. “You're not the first to go through it; you're not going to be the last to go through it … I wish I had someone at that time who could just pull me aside and [say], 'Hey, it's gonna be OK. It'll be OK.'”
He told viewers to “Hold on to that fundamental quality of faith. Have faith that on the other side of your pain is something good.”
After playing college football at the University of Miami, Johnson was not drafted by the NFL and ended up playing in the Canadian Football League. When he was cut, he felt depressed. The coach that cut him gave him an opportunity to come back, but he decided to take another road.
Instead, Johnson decided to get into wrestling, even though his father didn’t approve at first. Eventually, his dad decided to train him and that put him on the path to success.
As The Huffington Post notes, Johnson recorded other clips for Master Class and OWN. Other segments feature Johnson talking about saving his mother’s life at age 15 and how he is raising his daughter.
Johnson recently starred in San Andreas and is getting ready to make Baywatch.