Dwayne Johnson sat down with Esquire for a wide-ranging interview ahead of the release of Disney’s live-action movie Moana, in which he reprises his role as the demigod Maui. The cover story begins with Johnson revealing that she had a cancer scare earlier this year while working as a reporter for Jumanji at CinemaCon. The actor discovered a lump on one of his testicles and went to the doctor the morning before his trip to Las Vegas.
According to Esquire: “The doctor felt the lump and said it was likely epididymitis, an inflammation of the sperm-storing tubes at the back of the testicles, but it could also be cancer. ‘What are your plans for today?’ the doctor asked. Johnson spoke about the all-day “Jumanji” event. The doctor said Johnson needed to get an ultrasound first thing the next morning. ”
“So I had to live those 24 hours without knowing it. And I had to work all day and tell jokes and give speeches. But! I’m fine,” Johnson said, noting that she actually only had epididymitis and not cancer.
Johnson, who developed his dramatic acting skills in last year’s A24 drama “Smashing Machines” and received the best reviews of his career, has joined the ranks of blockbusters with “Jumanji” and “Moana.” Oscar buzz quickly turned to the premiere of the second film, Smashing Machines, at the Venice Film Festival, where Johnson broke down in tears during the film’s standing ovation. Unfortunately, Johnson was not nominated for Best Actor earlier this year.
“It would have been incredible to have been nominated for an Oscar,” Johnson admitted to Esquire. “I quickly realized that it’s a rare thing to get to the pinnacle of being able to have a conversation like this. And it’s so exciting. It would have been great. I wish it had happened, but it didn’t. But I never thought, in no uncertain terms, ‘Oh, it doesn’t matter.'” I always thought that was important. And that lit a fire in my spine. I feel like it’s time to get back to work. ”
While Johnson has been open about his relationship with acting and awards, he has remained silent on politics. In particular, he told Fox News in 2024 that he regrets that his support for Joe Biden as the 2020 presidential candidate caused division among his fans, adding, “My goal is to unite this country. I believe in that. There will be no support. At this level of influence, I’m going to keep my politics private. It’s between me and the ballot box.”
Speaking to Esquire about his new aversion to political talk, Johnson said: “What I’ve learned through experience is that you need to maintain what you need, not what you want. And what’s most important to me, what swings my legs out of bed in the morning and runs, is to create. It’s art. It’s telling stories. I’ve learned that I’m going to keep my politics to myself. There’s nothing I can’t talk about. If I feel it’s wrong, I’ll share it. I hate all the crap that comes with it.”
While Johnson ignores politics, he doesn’t do the same when it comes to AI. Esquire noted that Johnson was “cautiously interested and even excited” when the topic of AI and its threats came up during the interview.
“I’ve always been an advocate of seriously considering major changes before accepting them,” he says. “We can either stick our heads in the sand and be afraid, or we can say, ‘Okay, here we are. Let’s take a look. Let’s explore.'”
To read Johnson’s full cover story, visit Esquire’s website.
