Dwayne Johnson Discusses His Battles With Depression

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is opening up about facing depression throughout his life. The Red Notice star, 50, recently recalled being “sent in a tailspin” when a shoulder injury ended his college football career at the University of Miami.

“My first battle with depression was down there in Miami,” Johnson said. “I didn’t want to go to school, I was ready to leave.” He left school and didn’t know at the time what mental health or depression was. All he knew was, “I didn’t wanna be there.” The actor added that he wasn’t participating in anything, from team meetings to working out. For athletes, “any kind of sweat and getting it in will get that s— out of you,” Johnson said. “I couldn’t do it because of my shoulder.”

RELATED: The Rock Raises Fish In A Pond On His Farm As A Way To Decompress

Years later, Johnson went through depression again when he got divorced from his first wife, Dany Garcia. The pair were married from 1997 to 2008 and share 21-year-old daughter Ava Raine. Again, Johnson didn’t know what this feeling was. It wasn’t until around 2017 that the former professional wrestler experienced depression again that he knew what it was. “Luckily, I had some friends that I could lean on and say, ‘Hey, I’m feeling a little wobbly now. I got a little struggle happening, seeing a little grey and not the blue.'”

Johnson explained that the “saving grace” for his mental health has been his daughters (he also shares Tiana, 5, and Jasmine, 7, with his wife Lauren Hashian) and being a “girl dad.”

Mental Health Care For Men

Taking to social media over the weekend, the actor sent an important message about seeking mental health care to his followers, specifically men. “I’ve worked hard over the years to gain the emotional tools to work through any mental pain that may come to test me. But years ago, I didn’t know what mental health struggle was,” he wrote on Instagram. “As men, we didn’t talk about it. We just kept our head down and worked through it. Not healthy but it’s all we knew.”

“If you’re going through your own version of mental wellness turning into mental hell-ness, the most important thing you can do is talk to somebody,” Johnson added. “It can’t be fixed if you keep that pain inside. Having the courage to talk to someone is your superpower. I lost two friends to suicide. Talk to someone. Despite how you may feel, you’re never alone.”

Watch the interview below:

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson: What Are His 10 Best Movies

• Southland Tales

  With the United States under the threat of nuclear attack, the lives of several people converge in a dystopian Los Angeles in this 2006 comedy-drama. Movie star Boxer Santaros (Dwayne Johnson) plans his next film with the help of ambitious porn actress Krysta Now (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and troubled policeman Roland Taverner (Seann William Scott). Meanwhile, Marxist revolutionaries, greedy corporations and secretive government agencies pursue their separate agendas among a paranoid populace. Directed by Richard Kelly (Donnie Darko), the film didn’t face the same kind of praise his directorial film had.

• The Game Plan

  In this 2007 Disney comedy, bachelor football star Joe Kingman (Dwayne Johnson) seems to have it all. He is wealthy and carefree, and his team is on the way to capturing a championship. Suddenly, he is tackled by some unexpected news: He has a young daughter named Peyton (Madison Pettis), the result of a last fling with his ex-wife. Joe must learn to balance his personal and professional lives with the needs of his child.

• Central Intelligence

  Starring alongside Kevin Hart in this 2016 action-comedy, Johnson’s Bob Stone was bullied as a teen for being overweight but shows up to his high school reunion looking fit and muscular. While there, he finds Calvin Joyner (Hart), a fast-talking accountant who misses his glory days as a popular athlete. Stone is now a lethal CIA agent who needs Calvin’s number skills to help him save the compromised U.S. spy satellite system. Together, the former classmates encounter shootouts, espionage and double-crosses while trying to prevent worldwide chaos.

• Be Cool

  In this 2005 parody of the music industry, gangster-turned-movie producer, Chili Palmer (John Travolta) is ready for the next big move in the music industry. Palmer enters a precarious business that has more than just temperamental musicians: Russian mobsters, rival producers and hit men are out to bring him down. From witnessing the murder of his friend (James Woods) to romancing a music executive’s widow (his Pulp Fiction dancing partner Uma Thurman), it seems as though it might all fall apart, but Palmer has his ways. Elliot (Johnson), the bodyguard and sidekick of Roger “Raji” Lowenthal (Vince Vaughn) is taken on by Chili to pursue a career in acting and country and western singing.

• Walking Tall

  When decorated military officer Chris Vaughn (Johnson) returns to his hometown in the state of Washington to find work, he finds that the lumber mill has closed, and the town’s big business is now a seedy casino operated by one of his old schoolmates, Jay Hamilton (Neal McDonough). Aided by his loyal friend Ray Templeton (Johnny Knoxville), Vaughn tries to make a stand against the area’s crime and corruption, but, finding no help from the police, he must take matters into his own hands in this 2004 action flick.

• The Other Guys

  Unlike their heroic counterparts on the force, desk-bound NYPD detectives Gamble (Will Ferrell) and Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg) garner no headlines as they work day to day. Gamble relishes his job as a paper pusher, but Hoitz is itching to get back on the street and make a name for himself. When a seemingly minor case turns out to be a big deal, the two cops get the opportunity to finally prove to their comrades that they have the right stuff. Johnson stars as Detective Christopher Danson in this 2010 action-comedy.

• Furious 7

  After defeating international terrorist Owen Shaw (Luke Evans), Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) and the rest of the crew have separated to return to more normal lives. However, Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), Owen’s older brother, is thirsty for revenge. Slick government agent Luke Hobbs (Johnsson) offers to help Dom and company take care of Shaw in exchange for their help in rescuing a kidnapped computer hacker who has developed a powerful surveillance program in the 2015 sequel.

• Moana

  In this hit 2016 Disney animated film, an adventurous teenager sails out on a daring mission to save her people. During her journey, Moana meets the once-mighty demigod Maui (Johnson), who guides her in her quest to become a master way-finder. Together they sail across the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous monsters and impossible odds. Along the way, Moana fulfills the ancient quest of her ancestors and discovers the one thing she always sought: her own identity.

• Fighting With My Family

  Born into a tight-knit wrestling family, Paige (Florence Pugh) and her brother Zak (Jack Lowden) are ecstatic when they get the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to try out for the WWE in this 2019 drama. But when only Paige earns a spot in the competitive training program, she must leave her loved ones behind and face this new cutthroat world alone. Paige’s journey pushes her to dig deep and ultimately prove to the world that what makes her different is the very thing that can make her a star. Johnson plays himself in the movie.

• The Rundown

  A better comedic duo than Kevin Hart, Dwayne Johnson is joined by Seann William Scott in this 2003 action film. Beck (Johnson) is a tight-lipped bounty hunter who doesn’t like to use a gun and accepts any job without asking questions. When Beck’s employer, Walker (William Lucking), sends him to the Amazon to locate Walker’s cocky son, Travis (Scott), Beck discovers a population controlled by a tyrannical treasure hunter (Christopher Walken). To survive, Beck and Travis must work together, without their affections for a mysterious rebel (Rosario Dawson) getting in the way.