Dwayne Johnson's road to the top was filled with downfalls. Not only were things difficult behind the scenes, but he was also laughed at by agencies for his vision.
During a particular meeting, Dwayne Johnson made mention that he wanted a bigger career than Will Smith's. Of course, lots of eyes rolled in the room at that particular moment, but comparing their careers in the last decade, it is really hard to argue with DJ's vision.
In the following, we're going to take a look at a major moment that helped to shape Dwayne's career. His ex-wife Dany Garcia played a major role, as she went from ex-wife to manager in the same year. We'll take a look at how the two were able to make such an adjustment, along with taking a look at the key changes implemented by Garcia.
Dwayne Johnson's Ex Wife Dany Garcia Allowed Dwayne To Be Himself Once She Took Over As Manager
The transition from sports entertainer to actor was not an effortless one for Dwayne Johnson and instead, it was a major struggle at the start. DJ's films weren't doing well and to make matters worse, he was asked to change everything he loved. That started with shrinking in size and not hitting the gym as often.
Speaking alongside Marie Claire, Dany Garcia revealed this was one of the first changes she implemented once she took over his career. It was all about allowing Dwayne to shine as himself.
"In any partnership, you have to double down on the talent or the asset. It can never be about, 'You need to change more. You need to get smaller. You need to do this. You need to look like this," Garcia reveals with Marie Claire.
"It has to be more of a true belief: 'Who are you and what are you passionate about?' So Dwayne and I had a conversation. He had lost a lot of weight to fit certain parts, and he said, 'I can't do this anymore. I need to be me.' I supported him and said, 'Let's do you. That's all we need to do. Let's make Hollywood make room for you.'"
Garcia taking over his career was indeed a crucial moment. However, it came in the same year of their divorce.
Dany Garcia Revealed She Was Constantly In Discussion With Dwayne Johnson During The Transition Of Their Divorce Into Business Partners
A major key to Garcia and Johnson making such a transition had to do with one thing, and that's proper communication.
Throughout their divorce, the two constantly kept in contact. That held true during the tough moments in which one or the other would have a 'freak out' moment. Nonetheless, they were constantly there for each other, and real about the way they were feeling.
"Some people go through separation and there's no conversation, and it's a dark time, and one person goes off, but that was never us. We went on this journey together. We were going to change the manner of the relationship together. We spoke every day, and multiple times a day—not only on business, but on what was happening personally."
Garcia continues, "We spent over a year looking at the things that didn't work in our marriage, the reasons why, making sure those elements had been cleared and taken care of, and that we had a real understanding of respect."
As for how Garcia got into the manager role, at that point, she was already providing lots of input on DJ's career. Ultimately, Johnson asked Dany about a full-time position as his manager.
"We knew that we were moving into that period of our lives, the closing of a personal relationship. I was already deeply involved with his agents, I was already commenting on scripts. It was a very natural conversation, where he just said to me, 'I would love for you to do this full-time," Garcia tells Marie Claire.
Clearly, Garcia changed DJ's career for the better as he landed several franchise roles during the 2010s, which was what he aspired for at the start of his career.
Dwayne Johnson Felt Like A Failure After His Marriage To Dany Garcia Fell Apart
The process of divorce wasn't an easy one for Dwayne Johnson either. In past interviews, the actor revealed that he fell in a depression. In addition, looking back Johnson feels as though he made lots of mistakes with his marriage.
“You know, I don’t quite know what my expectation of marriage was back then. I had made a lot of mistakes and I didn’t have the ability or the wherewithal or I think the capacity to stop for a moment and say, ‘God, I’m really screwing up," he said with Piers Morgan on CNN.
"Let me just stop for a moment. Let’s talk about this.’ So I can’t tell you what it was then. I can tell you today that I value a relationship. When I love you, I can really love you, whether it’s my ex-wife, or my girlfriend, or my little girl."
Despite the emotional struggle, Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia were able to handle things in the best way possible. It is surreal to see the empire they have built since ending their marriage in 2008.
