Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson met the actor who first played his late father in an incredibly emotional moment.
The WWE Legend Changed the Life of a Hollywood Star is set on the small screen in Young Rock, with Joseph Lee Anderson playing Rocky ‘Soulman’ Johnson – who died at age 75 in January 2020 – in the sitcom.
Now The Rock and Joseph have hung out and brought out a lot of feelings for Dwayne, because he felt like he was with his dad one last time.
He shared some photos from their meeting and wrote on Instagram: “I didn’t want our hug to end. It was touching to finally meet Joseph, whose likeness, mannerisms and spirit of my father is uncanny.
“It was like standing there talking to my father one more time. All the memories came back to me. All the hard and often complicated love he gave me growing up. But it was still love. As husband and father – years later, I understand.
“My father died suddenly on January 20, 2020. I never had a chance to say goodbye one last time. But when I finally met Joe, I got the chance to say hello one more time.’
He also shared a video of them walking through a park together, admitting it was something Dwayne — who is a big family man — never got a chance to do with Rocky when he was alive.
He said: ‘Growing up as a child and even as a man, I never took a walk with my father. If he had been alive today, I would have loved to try this with him.
“I asked @officialjosephleeanderson (who plays my dad on our show Young Rock) to take me for a walk because I wanted to feel what it was like to walk and just have a fight with my old man.
“This felt good. Quite purifying in a way. Helps me reconcile a complicated father/son s**t. See you on the road daddy. Let’s walk in.’
Dwayne also met actress Ana Tuisila, who plays his late grandmother Lia Maivia, and he found himself having similar emotions because he felt like he was in the presence of another lost member of his family.
‘This is my first time meeting Ana. But now I’m holding my grandmother one more time. I look at her and talk to her again. Young Rock is so surreal and for me it has served a bigger, deeper purpose that goes far beyond entertainment,” he wrote.
“If you have the blessing of having your grandma or grandpa around, make sure you hug them tight, because you never know when it could be your last. I love you and miss you grandma and one day we will dance again. Your Tuif’ai.’
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