Features

AMY LONGSDORF For The Times Leader

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson never gave a thought to turning down “Race to Witch Mountain,” a remake of the 1975 Disney classic “Escape to Witch Mountain.” His daughter Simone wouldn’t let him.

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Johnson

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Dwayne Johnson, a.k.a. ’The Rock,’ stars in Disney’s ’Race to Witch Mountain.’

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“I watched the original with my little girl, who’s 6, and she loved it,” the actor says. “So when Disney came to me, it was a very easy decision to make.”

Making the decision even easier for Johnson was the movie’s focus on wall-to-wall action. After taking detours into drama with “The Gridiron Gang” and comedy with “The Game Plan” and “Get Smart,” Johnson was ready to get back on the road to rowdiness.

“I said for a long time that I didn’t want to go back into the action genre unless it was intense action that really played well, like the ‘Bourne’ films or ‘Casino Royale.’ Those movies raised the bar, in terms of realistic action sequences. Not that this film is similar in tone to those films because it’s not. But the action is really driven. It’s intense. And it’s funny too.”

Set in Las Vegas, “Race to Witch Mountain” centers on a hard-working cabbie (Johnson) who picks up two tweeners (AnnaSophia Robb, Alexander Ludwig) who are anything but typical fares. It turns out that not only are the siblings paranormal beings, but they’re being targeted by a villainous government agent (Ciaran Hinds) and a monster called the Siphon.

“As soon as these kids get in my cab, the race is on,” says Johnson, 36. “The movie is like a Disney ride. It’s just relentless.”

Unlike a lot of action films these days, director Andy Fickman decided to scale back the computer-generated imagery in favor of good old-fashioned special effects. Even Siphon, the monster, actually existed on the set instead of being created later by computers.

“We didn’t have to rely on CGI effects because we had a great monster who was really badass and real,” Johnson notes. “The movie has the texture of reality. When I get hit, I’m actually getting punched in the face, actually flying across the room. … There’s nothing like a good, old-fashioned butt-kicking.”

Although Johnson has aced action roles in “The Scorpion King,” “The Rundown” and “Walking Tall,” he never put pedal to medal in a full-out car chase until he buckled up for “Witch Mountain.”

“Of all the action movies I’ve done, most of the scenes have involved hand-to-hand combat and a lot of weaponry. It was awesome to just get into a car and have these incredible chases,” he says. “We get airborne, too, at one point. It was great.”

The original “Witch Mountain” was such a big hit for Disney that a sequel “Return to Witch Mountain” was released in 1977 as well as a 1995 TV remake.

The new movie cleverly stocks its supporting cast with sci-fi staples, including “Threshold’s” Carla Gugino as an alien enthusiast. There are cameos by William J. Birnes (host of “UFO Hunters”) and Whitley Streiber (author of “Communion”) as well as appearances by Kim Richards and Iake Eissinmann, who played the kids in the original films.

Making the movie turned Johnson into a believer of all things otherworldly. “It would be extremely arrogant to think that we’re the only ones in the universe. So, I firmly believe. And, I’m always fascinated and intrigued (with other worlds).”

Johnson’s curiosity with other worlds has served him well. He’s one of the only ex-professional wrestlers who have managed to sustain a career in movies.

It wasn’t always so easy for Johnson, a Hayward, Calif., native who spent his high-school years in Bethlehem, Pa., stirring up trouble both on and off the football field. After graduation, he landed a scholarship to the University of Miami, where he was a defensive tackle for four years before a serious back injury ended his hope of a career with the NFL.

After a painful tenure with the Canadian Football League left him nearly penniless, Johnson was forced to go back home and live with his parents as he figured out his next move.

Johnson begged his wrestler dad “Soulman” Rocky Johnson to teach him everything he knew about the sport and began grappling on the underground circuit for as little as $35 a night. In 1996, Johnson signed his first World Wrestling Federation contract. Four years later, he set his sights on movies.

“I first started acting in movies in 2000, but my background wasn’t in theater. My parents weren’t movie executives; I didn’t have that connection, but I always loved the entertainment world. The world of wrestling benefited me greatly, just in terms of television.

“We did four hours of TV every week. That was my theater, and I was able to perform in front of large audiences, 20 to 30,000 people at a time.”

Back in his wrestling days, he was mentored by a man named Pat Patterson, who stressed to Johnson the importance of always entertaining an audience.

“I actually modeled my character in ‘Be Cool’ after Pat,” Johnson says. “He was a very proud gay man, a very funny guy. He’s like a father figure to me. He always made sure that at the end of the day I understood the value of just simply wanting to entertain. He urged me to take ego out of (the equation).

“He reminded me to approach (wrestling) from a perspective of wanting to entertain and figuring out what’s the best way to make an audience laugh or be angry. It was all about taking an audience through a myriad of emotions.”