The kid who daydreamed while playing with action figures has now surpassed his greatest fantasy. Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson easily shifts from #1 movies to wrestling trunks and center stage in front of 75,000 screaming fans. Coming up is Fast & Furious 6 opening May 24. His latest, Pain & Gain opened this weekend, and “G.I. Joe: Retaliation,” co-starring Channing Tatum and Bruce Willis debuted at #1. Just another day at the office for “the most electrifying man in entertainment.”

Last year saw his  return to Wrestlemania in the biggest Pay-Per-View event in wrestling history. As he prepares for his very own possible spin off from “Fast & Furious,” ‘The Rock’ took some time for a very exclusive conversation with HOMBRE.

HOMBRE: Tell us about “G. I. Joe: Retaliation.”
Dwayne Johnson: It’s about two cowboys who fall in love in the mountains…. (laughs)

H: I think we saw that movie before (laughs)
DJ: I grew up on G. I. Joe and it’s such a massive, important property. We wanted to make a movie that was more rooted, grounded, more real, paying homage to our military. And also making sure that we were elevating and enhancing the fantastical side of G. I. Joe. Seeing the movie I’m very happy with what I saw. I’m very excited to show it the world.

H: And your character in the film?
DJ: My character’s name is Roadblock. In G. I. Joe mythology Roadblock is the glue that holds the Joes together. He was never interested in having stripes on his lapel. He was more interested in being in the background. Through tragedies that strike the Joes in our movie, Roadblock emerges as a leader. He is very unique. He is a hell of a soldier, incredibly proficient with his weapons, carries arguably the biggest gun in the world. He is also an amazing chef with
great culinary skills, loves poetry…He was a lot of fun to play.

H: How did you prepare for the role?
DJ: It was good twelve to fourteen weeks prep. I trained harder that I have ever trained for any role. And we worked very closely with our Navy Seals. We had our own version of boot camp which was invaluable for us as actors. And that was it. For me personally it was important to bring a really physical dominant energy to the role. When the character comes alive on screen you want him to be just that…alive… And to bring a physical presence that is very believable.

H: Where did you film?
DJ: We shot the entire movie in New Orleans. We were also fortunate enough to shoot on the property of NASA which was a great experience for all of us. And the government was very helpful.

H: Did you play with G. I. Joe’s as a kid?
DJ: Yes. I thought I was G. I. Joe. Action figures, G. I. Joes, Star Wars, a lot of He-Men, Transformers… all that.

H: Did you ever imagine that you would bring G. I. Joe to life?
DJ: No, never. As a kid acting was nowhere on my radar. I wasn’t connected to Hollywood in any way. Obviously I would live vicariously through those action figures and create those heroic scenarios in my head whether it was G. I. Joes, Star wars… but never did I think I would be G. I. Joe.

H: And what advice would you give to young people who admire and look up to you?
DJ: My advice is always that there is no substitute for hard work. The work becomes tireless and endless but stay focused.  Understand that you are going to fail, learn from your failures, enjoy your successes, be humble, be hungry and understand that there is no substitute for hard work.

H: Would you say that is a key for your success?
DJ: Undoubtedly yes. Your perspective shifts. I have always, since a very young age, at 12-14, understood that if I wanted to have any success I would have to work hard.  I have to physically work hard. But when you are getting older your perspectives start to change. You start to understand the value of humility, the value of being
open and being flexible to different ideas and new solutions, new perspectives. When I was younger in my twenties I would barrel through things and force a lot of things to happen. Compared when I got in my thirties, my late thirties now, you start to understand that there is a great value in just having a little bit of poise and not barreling through things.

H: If you had to tell someone “this is the reason why you need to see this film.” what would it be?
DJ: You will be entertained for about 95 minutes if you see this movie. If you don’t and you wanna be depressed…

H: You went back to the ring, how did you come to that decision?
DJ: About two years ago I spoke with Vince McMahon owner of WWE, and we created the scenario that we wanted to put on the biggest match of all time. Creating this scenario is a great way to give back to the audience that was not only good and loyal to me and very passionate to me but also we created something that is monumental in the world of sports entertainment. And it’s exciting because I can be on movie sets, I like making movies and I get an incredible adrenaline rush when the director yells “action.” But it’s a very different adrenaline rush that I get in the middle of the ring because I get one take, its live in about 45 minutes in front of seventy five thousand people going absolutely crazy. And it’s very special and very unique; it’s electrifying.