Actor and semi-retired professional wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson posted a video on Instagram on Friday night, dismissing as fake news a tabloid story that he had jeered at millennials in a recent interview, adding that coming up with such a bitter criticism is not really his cup of tea. “Settin’ the record straight”, Johnson’s caption began.
“The interview never happened. Never said those words. 100% false. If I ever had an issue with someone, a group, community or a generation — I’d seek them out, create dialogue and do my best to understand them. Criticizing ain’t my style. I don’t cast stones and we all get to be who we are”, he said in a straightforward way, adding that he had already gained “a great trust and equity with all you guys, all around the world over the years”.
“And you know it's not a really DJ interview if I'm ever insulting a group, a generation or anyone, because that's not me and it's not who I am and not what we do", Johnson stated in the video he posted on Friday night.
The UK’s Daily Star, which attributed controversial quotes to “The Rock” did not immediately pull the article based on what the actor referred to as a “fabricated interview”: it remained on the website for at least an hour after Johnson released his video.
The 46-year-old “Jumanji” star was quoted by The Star and The Sun, with other editions quickly picking up the comments, rebuking “generation snowflake” and noting that vulnerable youngsters are “looking for a reason to be offended” in today’s world. Johnson has reportedly floated running for president in the foreseeable future.
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However, in July, he announced that while he “seriously considered” a 2020 White House bid, running for office in the next presidential election was “not possible” for him. “It’s a position that requires years of hard work and experience to learn the skills. There’s a lot of ground to cover, and due to my schedule, it’s not possible in 2020”, Johnson told Vanity Fair at the time.
