“Gridiron” star Dwayne Johnson fed up after filming L.A. pic
By Gayl Murphy

HOLLYWOOD — Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will be rolling out of Los Angeles none too soon for his taste.

The star of football film “Gridiron Gang,” which opened at No. 1 and grossed $27 million by its second weekend, said “For every two good people in Los Angeles, there are about 22 A-Holes running around.”

The actor stays grounded by living outside of Hollywood in the small country burg of Davy, Florida.

“There’s a Dunkin’ Donuts on every corner, horseback riding and fishing,” Johnson said of his adopted town. “I’m not running around the streets or in restaurants looking to be seen like (people are) in Beverly Hills.

“When you meet somebody, they’re shaking your hand, they’re looking you in the eye. There’s no B.S. There’s no pretentiousness” he told Hollywood Today.

He should know. He’s just spent a good deal of time in L.A. shooting his next film, “Southland Tales.” It’s set in a slightly futuristic Los Angeles, 2008 to be exact, and he plays an action movie star stricken with amnesia. Co-star is Sarah Michelle Gellar (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), who portrays an adult film star with a reality TV project, which also sounds very much L.A.

Johnson, who plays juvenile camp detention officer Sean Porter in “Gridiron,” says he feels his role as a mentor extends from to the film into his everyday life.

“I think that doling out advice is a responsibility we all have as parents and adults – celebrity or not.”

Like the character he plays, Johnson says such advice often includes a high level of expectation for those receiving it.

“It’s telling kids, ‘Listen, I expect you to do better. I expect you to challenge yourself. I expect you to try and make the right decisions. I expect a lot from you and I know you can do well.’ Nine out of 10 times, you tell a kid that – white, black, Latin, Asian, rich, poor – he’s gonna respond in a positive way. It’s all about tough love.”

The former-wrestler believes sports are one way to affect troubled youth, teaching them immeasurably about “commitment and sacrifice.”

I know what [sports] did for me, and I’ve seen what they can do for kids around the world. Being in a team structure helps you learn how to deal with your failure, your losses, and being gracious with your successes. All that is vital.”

In the subject of sports, the “Mummy Returns” star notes that he hopes fans will abandon his formerly popular nickname of “The Rock” as he becomes more widely recognized as an actor.

“I loved ‘The Rock,’ but hope that after ‘Southland Tales,’ I’ll be credited as only Dwayne Johnson.”

The actor will star as another jock in Buena Vista’s “Daddy’s Little Girl” as an NFL quarterback living a bachelor lifestyle when he discovers he has a 7-year-old daughter.

Fans can also see in in a cameo in the upcoming “Reno: 911” movie which will be based on the Comedy Central TV series.