He may appear big and tough on the outside, but Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson isn’t afraid to get emotional about what’s happening to him on the inside. In fact, the pro wrestler and actor just got very candid about his past battle with depression, a sensitive topic he’s always been quite vocal about.
In February, the dad-of-two took to Instagram to share the emotional story of when he witnessed his mother try to commit suicide when he was just 15 years old. And while doing press for his upcoming movie, Rampage, recently, he thanked his fans for all their outpouring support.
“Struggle and pain is real. I was devastated and depressed,” he said, according to The Express. “I reached a point where I didn’t want to do a thing or go anywhere. I was crying constantly.”
His post about mental health a few months back featured him shooting a scene for Ballers in a graveyard. “Not your typical scene on our comedy #Ballers, as I cracked a beer open toasting my character’s brother, William who committed suicide,” he began. “Got me thinkin’ though bout how many of us have been affected by suicide of our friends, family. Struggle and pain is real. We’ve all been there on some level or another.”
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The Rock then went on to tell the story about his mother.
“My mom tried to check out when I was 15. She got outta the car on Interstate 65 in Nashville and walked into oncoming traffic. Big rigs and cars swerving outta the way not to hit her. I grabbed her and pulled her back on the gravel shoulder of the road,” he continued. “What’s crazy about that suicide attempt is to this day, she has no recollection of it whatsoever. Probably best she doesn’t. S–ts of a scene to shoot — didn’t like it — but it did remind that we always gotta do our best to really pay attention when people are in pain. Help ’em thru it, get ’em talkin’ about the struggle and remind ’em that they’re not alone. We got lucky that day when I was 15 and that ain’t always the case.”
On Monday, April 2, he also tweeted a link to a story about him opening up about his depression with the message: “Got tons of responses to this. Thank you. We all go thru the sludge/s — and depression never discriminates. Took me a long time to realize it but the key is to not be afraid to open up. Especially us dudes have a tendency to keep it in. You’re not alone.” He’s such an inspiration!
If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, call Lifeline on 13 11 14
