Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson says that people often confused his "soft features" as a child, thinking that he was a little girl, according to Page Six.
The former pro wrestler, who is of Black Nova Scotian and Samoan descent, just celebrated his 49th birthday yesterday. He said in an interview, “I would say between the ages of 7 and 11, people thought that I was a little girl because I had really soft features and I had really soft Afro hair."
Johnson's father was Canadian pro wrestler Rocky Johnson, while his mother Ata Johnson is the adopted daughter of pro wrestler Peter Maivia. They moved around so often when Dwayne was a child, that he went to thirteen schools by the time he entered high school. He recalled one memory of a moment on the school bus on his first day of fifth grade: “I sit down next to a kid, and within 60 seconds, he goes, ‘Can I ask you something?'” said The Rock. “I said, ‘Yeah.’ He goes, ‘Are you a boy or a girl?'”
These days, the 6'5" Hollywood superstar has been fielding questions about a rumored future run for the White House. In April, a poll of more than 30,000 Americans conducted by Piplsay found that 46 percent of people would consider voting for the Jumanji star for president. Matthew McConaughey was included in the poll, as seems to make him a viable potential future candidate; 41 percent support the idea of him running for political office.
After the poll came out, Johnson tweeted, “not sure our Founding Fathers ever envisioned a six-four, bald, tattooed, half-Black, half-Samoan, tequila drinking, pick up truck driving, fanny pack wearing guy joining their club - but if it ever happens it'd be my honor to serve the people." He added that he’d make a bid if that’s “what the people want.”
According to Newsweek, Johnson has been asked about running for president on multiple occasions over the past few years. In 2016, he told GQ magazine that he would not rule out a run, calling the idea of being president "alluring," noting that there were "a lot of other things" he would like to do first. A year later on The Ellen Show, Johnson said he was "seriously" considering becoming a candidate. In a 2018 appearance on The Late Show, Johnson told host Stephen Colbert that he was still "absolutely" contemplating a run. However, he said that he would need to "get some experience and understand policy" before launching his potential White House bid, mentioning the 2024 or 2028 elections as possibilities.