When we think of perfect pairings, a 6ft 5 wrestling champion and a dainty, Oscar-winning British actress wouldn’t typically come to mind—they’re like chalk and cheese.
But somehow, it works!
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Emily Blunt starred in the hit Hollywood blockbuster *Jungle Cruise*, a Disney film released in 2021. How did it come about?
Johnson recorded a video for the producers to show to Blunt, hoping to persuade her to join the cast. Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter, Johnson said, “I must have shot it about five or six times because I had not communicated with Emily yet. I had not even met her. And I wanted to let her know via this video just how important she was to this movie and how I only wanted her in this movie. And it was great. And I… I actually never heard back from Emily. She didn’t respond at all. Just ghosted me.”
But the effort didn’t stop there. The director flew to New York to visit Blunt at her Brooklyn home to persuade her, but it still didn’t work.
Replying to Johnson, she savagely quipped, “I thought the video was sweet. Didn’t know you were going to be so sensitive.”
So what made her change her mind? After finally reading the script and learning it would be similar to *Indiana Jones*, she was on board. Plus, who would turn down a $9 million payday?
If you’re yearning for more of Blunt and Johnson on screen together, you’re in luck—the pair are set to star in *The Smashing Machine*, a biographical sports drama where they will play husband and wife. Johnson will portray former wrestler and mixed martial artist Mark Kerr, with Blunt as his lover.
