Dwayne Johnson shared his unexpected childhood Hollywood crush, one that had a lasting impact on his career.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 17: Dwayne Johnson, wearing Ralph Lauren, attends ELLE's 2025 Women in Hollywood Celebration presented by Ralph Lauren and Bvlgari with support from evian, Hendrick's Gin, and Lucid Motors on November 17, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Dwayne Johnson has got to be one of the hunkiest leading men in Hollywood, so you might expect his childhood onscreen crush to be a leading lady. TORONTO, ONTARIO - SEPTEMBER 08: Dwayne Johnson attends 'In Conversation With... Dwayne Johnson' during the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival at Royal Alexandra Theatre on September 08, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario. , the former WWE star stated, without hesitation, that he was “enamored” with Gene Wilder in “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.” "My cinematic crush would have been – I don't mean this in a weird way – I was just always so enamored with Gene Wilder,” he said. “Interestingly enough, first, because I always loved Richard Pryor growing up. I loved Richard Pryor. I loved Elvis. I thought I was both when I was a kid. And then I watched ‘Stir Crazy’ and there was something about Gene, and I was like, 'Wow.'” He continued, “And then when I saw ‘Willy Wonka...’ I think ‘Willy Wonka’ was the thing that really grabbed me about Gene Wilder. I think it was the tenderness in his soul. And I don't know if I was thinking that when I was 10 years old, but there was just something captivating."One of his favorite moments from Wilder’s performance is at the end the end of the film, when Charlie wins the chocolate factory. "Gene is just staring at this kid with a smile, and he says, 'Hey Charlie, do you know what happened to the boy who suddenly had everything he ever wanted? He lived happily ever after,’” Johnson recalled fondly. The Willy Wonka admiration runs so deep, Johnson almost landed the role in the 2004 remake directed by Tim Burton. “Some cool history - back in the early 2000’s, iconic director, Tim Burton had considered me to play Willy Wonka is his remake, ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,’” he He continued, “But that was many years ago when I was just starting out in Hollywood with no foundation of global box office strength or any real acting experience to even pull it off. The role, of course went to Johnny Depp, who at that time was the biggest star in the world. The rest was history.” Johnson said he was grateful to have been “considered” by Burton “as I was just breaking in to the business with no idea what the future had in store.”In the aftermath of Good’s shooting, footage shows Good’s alleged wife slumped on the ground with her dog beside her crying.Vice President JD Vance reposted the video on X multiple times, criticizing "media dishonesty" about the officer who was injured during the incident.Jenny McCarthy is trying to get some shut eye, no thanks to her husband, Donnie Wahlberg.During an appearance on “Live with Kelly and Mark,” she explained, "FirConvicted ring leader of Feeding Our Future fraud forfeited 2013 Porsche, $3.7 million from her bank accounts, and luxury goods found in her home.The Department of Homeland Security said the shooting was in self-defense when the driver of a vehicle that the agents had pulled over tried to run them over.
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