Dwayne Johnson played the character of Black Adam in DCEU’s movie of the same title in 2022, wherein Black Adam, after being granted with the divine power of the Egyptian Gods, is freed and decides to fix things through his own style of justice.

When it comes to style, The Rock’s characters – whether it be the DC comics-inspired role or Luke Hobbs – tend to remain consistent: irrespective of the plot or the character’s arc, they always possess immense physical strength to beat down opponents. Even in comedy movies (Central Intelligence) one way or another, the not-very versatile but very powerful superstar finds himself amid scenes that are mostly focused on maximizing his physical prowess.
Dwayne Johnson in Black Adam.

In most cases (not Black Adam by any stretch), Johnson’s style works well at the box office and has accordingly made him one of the highest-paid actors in the industry. His popularity has also given him the freedom to make his own set of rules.

What Clause in Dwayne Johnson’s Contract Led to a Tweak in a Fast 8 Scene

As suggested above, despite his limited acting talents, Dwayne Johnson has a presence on screen like few others. Accordingly, when he got the chance to feature in the fifth installment of Fast and Furious as a highly skilled agent, Luke Hobbs, he quickly became one of the most loved characters in the series and bagged crucial roles in succeeding chapters.
Dwayne Johnson in The Fate of the Furious.
Johnson made his entry into the franchise as an unlikable guy, as he was hell-bent on catching protagonist Dominic Toretto. Hobbs and Vin Diesel‘s characters came to blows several times and as the plot progressed (in the movie as well as future installments) they also joined hands. Still, throughout the long journey, one thing remains unchanged: Hobbs always gives as good as he gets.

Turns out, this isn’t some ridiculous coincidence, but rather a result of a carefully crafted contract. According to The Wall Street Journal, “Mr. Johnson, 47, enlists producers, editors and fight coordinators to help make sure he always gives as good as he gets.”

Interestingly, in The Fate of the Furious, the eighth installment of the franchise, Johnson allegedly had a script tweaked, leading to him sitting instead of lying down on the ground when he took a beating in a fight.

To be fair, the only way dialogues like “I will beat your a*s like a Cherokee drum” send shivers down the enemy’s spine and not make him laugh is when the guy who’s saying it is more or less invincible like Johnson.

Who Inspired Dwayne Johnson’s Idea of Including a Bizarre Clause in His Contract?

Johnson isn’t the only main guy in the super-hit action franchise who avoids looking like an inferior opponent during action sequences. In fact, it all started with Diesel. He apparently loves just three things: His family, his cars, and beating the sh*t out of individuals who attack one of the first two things or both.
Vin Diesel.
As per The Wall Street Journal, the 56-year-old developed a system to which he assigned a numerical value to each blow he received on screen. Further, he tasked his younger sister to count how many punches he was receiving during a fight scene to ensure he was sticking with the terms of the contract.

Once Johnson and Jason Statham, another big guy who tends to find himself at the center of action scenes, realized this, they also came up with their own different versions of instructions in their contracts. More work for the action choreographers!

Source: The Wall Street Journal