Dwayne Johnson on His 'Complicated Relationship' With His Late Dad (Exclusive)

etonline.com:

Dwayne Johnson looks back on the relationship he had with his late father and admits it had its share of complications. And even though Rocky Johnson died a little over two years ago, the 49-year-old actor says they've never been closer.The star opened up to ET's Kevin Frazier about the life lessons his late father parted on him and how they resonated with him after his father passed away in January 2020.

Johnson conjured up those memories while discussing his father's role (portrayed by Joseph Lee Anderson) in season 2 of, which premieres Tuesday night on NBC.«I was an only child and I had a complicated relationship with my dad, though he was my hero when I was a little boy,» Johnson says. «And I have a loving, supportive relationship with my mom, but all the lessons that my mom was able to teach me over the years I didn't realize because I was running around getting arrested and being an idiot at some points in my life.»Johnson, who had lived in 13 different states by the time he was 13, said his father getting kicked out of his home at just 13 years old and becoming homeless proved to be a hardship that ultimately shaped the man who raised him with tough love.Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and his mom and dad at the hand/footprint ceremony honoring him held at TCL Chinese Theatre on May 19, 2015 in Hollywood.«But some of the things and the lessons that I learned from my old man I didn't realize how critical those lessons were until years later,» Johnson said. «And, to be honest with you, I didn't realize how important they were until he passed away.»Rocky Johnson, an iconic wrestling star himself, had what's called a deep vein thrombosis, his son would later reveal, which is essentially a blood clot in the leg.