Idolizing, working with, and becoming The Rock - Bradley Constant talks Young Rock on NBC [Exclusive]
Wrestling fans will get an in-depth look at the life of Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson when the NBC series Young Rock debuts this coming Tuesday. The sitcom will take you through the formative years of Dwayne Johnson, long before he became the jabroni-beating, pie-eating, trailblazing, eyebrow-raising, and the most electrifying man in sports entertainment that we all know and love.
Viewers will see The Rock at four different times in his life. Dwayne Johnson is set to appear as the modern-day man we all know, in addition to the 10-year-old, 15-year-old, and 20-year-old versions of himself.
SK Wrestling recently had an opportunity to speak with Bradley Constant, who plays 15-year old Dwayne Johnson in NBC's Young Rock. It's an opportunity and a role he's been working toward for nearly half of his life.
It's not very often people can decide what to do in life at the age of 12 and stick with it. Then again, not everyone is Bradley Constant, who moved to New York at a young age to put himself in a better position to make his dreams of being a successful actor and entertainer come true. Now, at age 22, he finds himself just a few days away from the premiere of his first major network show.
While speaking to SK Wrestling, the young actor talked about growing up as a big fan of The Rock, trying to portray one of his idols on the small screen and so much more. Check out the full interview and highlights below.
Rick Ucchino's Q&A with 'Young Rock' star Bradley Constant
SK Wrestling: Before we get into the show itself, tell me a bit more about yourself. You're still a young guy, but this is a role and an opportunity you've been working for over a decade to get, right?
Bradley Constant: Yeah, man. Yeah, exactly. I started back in 2011. I decided I wanted to, you know, be on TV and I think back then I thought it would happen a lot quicker. You know, you think about being on TV, like, 'Oh yeah. You know what? I go to this audition and then everything is going to happen.' You know? I think I realized very quickly, after my first couple of classes that, 'Hey, this is going to take a while.' And I think everything that's happened in between now leading up to this, you know, the classes and the auditions and everything like that, it really helped set a good foundation for coming into something like this. And I couldn't be more grateful, man. It's the full circle.
SKW: So what sparked that drive of yours, at such a young age, to go out there and do everything that was necessary to be a successful entertainer? What, you started at age 12, right?
BC: Yeah, at age 12. Yeah. Yeah. I think all my family, like, they all work hard. We all aspire to be something. It doesn't have to be TV and it's not necessarily about popularity. Both of my brothers are some of the most hardworking people ever. And I'm like this (crosses fingers) with my brothers. I credit everything I am to them. I think the biggest thing was seeing, you know, not a lot of people leave Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and that's where I grew up. My middle brother was the first one to leave the house. He left and went to college in Boston and everybody's like, 'What? He left? He went to Boston?' And this was around the same time that I decided that I wanted to start acting. You know I looked at my mom, and my mom is incredible, and she was willing to move me to New York. And that was closer to my brother who left, and things just started happening from there.
SKW: That's incredible, and you know that close bond with your family, that has to tie into this show too, right? Cause I mean, it is about the life of Dwayne The Rock Johnson, but I mean, he was somebody who was pretty close to his family and this is a family show.
BC: Oh, a hundred percent. That is the most important thing that you'll see. It comes all the way back and, you know, full circle around in every episode - that family is the most important thing. And, you know, you mentioned playing Dwayne The Rock Johnson, I grew up watching him ever since I can remember. I've been watching him in wrestling or movies, everything he's been in, but playing this role is so unique because it's a part of his life that was before all of the fame. These are, you know, times that I can really relate with. Things that I can pull from, you know?
BC (contd.): While we were shooting this, I think the scenes with Ata (Johnson), with my mom on the show are some of my favorite because it felt like real moments that I've had with my mom after whatever struggles we've dealt with. He's (Dwayne Johnson) such a real guy. It's a fantastic life that he's living, but there are so many real things that, you know, anybody can relate with and pull from. And I was able to do that a lot with this character.
SKW: I was wondering about that, by the way. You said you watched The Rock as far back as you can remember. You're about 22, which means The Rock stopped wrestling full time when you were about five. So I was wondering if you even knew that he was a wrestler, or if you knew him more as the action hero Dwayne The Rock Johnson.
BC: The first thing I ever saw him with was wrestling. My earliest memories are with my dad. My dad always had wrestling on the big screen in the living room. And I'd go in there and watch with him and I remember watching The Rock. I remember he'd even have old tapes of him playing. Even one of my friends growing up had the wrestling ring and then action figures of him. I'd go to his house and we'd play with them, he had like Hulk Hogan and everybody. You know, then I started watching his movies. Walking Tall was the first thing I watched. I watched that with my dad too.
SKW: Who was your favorite wrestler growing up?
BC: Oh, The Rock. Part of it, you know, he's a guy that looks like me. I think that's a cool thing for a lot of people. That's how they pick someone that they gravitate to is because they look like them, you know? And you know, I saw myself as... you know everybody wanted to be that guy who has bravado, he's strong, he's confident, and that was something to look up to.
SKW: What was it like getting to work with The Rock and how hands-on was he with developing your portrayal of him?
BC: Not too long after I booked it, we got to sit down, and (well it was during COVID) we had a full zoom chat. It took about an hour and you know, I was nervous obviously. Like I grew up idolizing this guy in a way and I was like, 'What's up Rock?!' And I had questions down the line.
BC (contd.): I was like, 'All right, boom. What were the top three most important things to you when you were 15 years old?' And he hits me with, 'girls!' [emphasis added], and then family and then working out. From there it kind of went into an easy conversation and he's just, he's such an easy guy to talk to. I mean, what you see is what you get. He's very genuine. He's a very humble, very awesome man. And, I think from there it made me feel really comfortable going forward and playing it where it never felt like I was trying to imitate The Rock or anything like that. It felt more like I was gravitating to the real aspects of who he was. I was playing a real person who [is] relatable. So I think in the show, it's really cool. I'll be able to bring out a lot of the relatable human, you know, not superstar aspects of Dwayne Johnson. Which is really cool.
SKW: I know you can't give too much away, but just judging by the trailers, we're going to see some crazy stuff in this show. I'm excited to see the Andre the Giant stories that The Rock pitched, but what should we expect to see in season one of Young Rock?
BC: You're going to see lots of ups and downs and twists and turns. I think you will see some of the iconic moments he's talked about before. My era and Adrian's (Groulx) era, the 10-year-old, and Uly (Latukefu) when he goes into college. But it's going to go so much deeper than that. It's going to be super funny, but there's going to be lessons for everyone. It's not going to be preaching to you, but it's going to be very relatable.
Make sure to check out SK Wrestling's full conversation with Bradley Constant in the video above. You'll hear his hilarious 'Young Rock' audition story that no transcription could do justice. Also, you'll hear about his parents' reaction to him being cast as Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson.
Don't forget to tune in to your local NBC station at 8 P.M. EST on Tuesday, February 16th, for the series premiere of 'Young Rock'.