Dwayne Johnson, 'The Rock,' Tells Oprah He Used Faith To Combat Depression

By Julie Brown Patton
Dwayne Johnson
 Oprah's Master Class OWN

Actor and professional wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson emphasized that having faith was instrumental to getting over his depression, in an episode of OWN's Oprah's Master Class series on Nov. 19. "You have to hold onto that fundamental quality of faith. Have faith. And on the other side of your pain is something good," he reflected.

Johnson, 43, revealed he suffered from depression during "a real low point" in his early 20s, which was set off by being "passed over" by the National Football League, according to the Huffington Post. Just two months after joining the practice roster, Johnson was removed from the Calgary Stampeders, a team in the Canadian Football League.

"You just feel like you're alone," said Johnson in the OWN piece. "You feel like it's only you. And you're in your bubble."

Johnson, who had a tumultuous childhood that included arrests, moved back in with his parents at the time but said he still felt alone, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Johnson said one of the important things for people to realize about depression is that they are not the first to go through it. "You're also not going to be the last to go through it. I wish I had someone at that time who could just pull me aside [and say] 'Hey, it's gonna' be okay. It'll be okay.'"

In the clip, Johnson also indicated his father told him he was making the biggest mistake of his life and ruining his career by going into professional wrestling. "I told him, 'But I feel like in my heart, I have to do this.'"

His father, a second-generation wrestler, ended up training him for the World Wide Entertainment, Inc., arena, and "it wound up being one of the greatest chapters in my life," stated Johnson in the episode.

Some of The Rock's fans on social media provided shout outs for overcoming his depression, posting that for him to come out open about it shows his character.

Once this episode, and another OWN clip about his daughter went viral, Johnson took to Twitter to thank fans for supporting his revelation. "Grateful for the talk. We all go thru it and you're never alone," he wrote, later adding, "Thx fam. Hardest thing sometimes (especially men) is asking for help. I wish I did. You're never alone. Speak up. "

In October, Johnson had revealed he believes he has his own special relationship with God. "I certainly feel very blessed. I count my blessings, every day."

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