Casting a show centered around the life of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is no small feat. It’s a challenge that goes beyond simply finding actors who resemble the global superstar. “Young Rock,” the NBC sitcom chronicling Johnson’s formative years, demanded not one, but three actors to portray him at different stages of his life, alongside performers to embody his iconic wrestling family.
“When we embarked on casting ‘Young Rock,’ particularly finding our Dwaynes across different ages, it felt like a monumental task,” recalls executive producer Jennifer Carreras. Speaking about the initial discussions with series co-creators Nahnatchka Khan and Jeff Chiang, Carreras admitted, “I truly was wondering how we’re going to pull that off. Casting Dwayne is the hardest thing because it’s more than just the look of him — you have to have that charm and effortless talent.” The quest to find the perfect “Young Rock Cast” was on.
Casting directors Anya Colloff, Michael Nicolo, and Michelle Seamon, veterans who previously collaborated with Khan on “Fresh Off the Boat,” embraced the challenge of finding actors to represent Johnson in his youth. Carreras notes their unwavering positive attitude: “Their attitude was never, ‘This can’t be done,’ it’s, ‘How do we do it?’”
Colloff and Nicolo understood the tightrope they were walking, especially when casting figures so deeply embedded in popular culture, particularly within the passionate world of wrestling. “In a world like wrestling, if you’re even slightly off about something, the fans will let you know,” Nicolo emphasizes.
Consider the daunting prospect of casting André the Giant. “Going into it, I thought André the Giant was going to be the toughest one to do just because of the physicality,” Nicolo admits. “Talk about larger than life.” Surprisingly, the solution was closer than they thought. They cast Matthew Willig, an actor and former NFL player they had known for some time. “There aren’t a ton of actors who are that big and the right build and also physically look like [André]. Matthew committed from beginning to end and was so funny,” Nicolo explains, highlighting Willig’s successful portrayal of the wrestling legend.
However, the most intricate part of assembling the “young rock cast” was finding the trio to embody Dwayne Johnson at different ages, ensuring a believable progression to the charismatic personality the world knows today. “Appearance was very important, but we also wanted to find people who represented the essence of him,” Colloff states. “That was challenging: finding someone who looks like him, but also can act like him and who’s a good actor and who’s funny and smart and all of those qualities of Dwayne.”
Their search yielded Adrian Groulx, portraying Johnson at age 10, and Bradley Constant, as the 15-year-old version. The casting directors felt they had struck gold. “You’re rooting for this little kid right off the bat,” Colloff says of Groulx. “You just fall in love with him, he’s so adorable.” For the teenage Dwayne, Constant captured the burgeoning swagger. “Physically, he looked a lot like him, especially when you add the mustache,” Nicolo points out. “He definitely had that cool factor to him, and again, was such a sweetheart.”
Adrian Groulx, Bradley Constant, and Uli Latukefu as young Dwayne Johnson in "Young Rock"
Casting 36-year-old Uli Latukefu as 18-year-old Johnson might have raised eyebrows, but Colloff and Nicolo were immediately convinced. The Australian actor, of Tongan descent, impressed them from his audition tape. “He obviously looks so much like Dwayne,” Nicolo affirms. “Dwayne has that $10 million smile and Uli has that as well. You’re also rooting for this guy, especially in those years when he’s going through so much emotionally.” The age discrepancy was cleverly addressed within the show itself, acknowledging Johnson’s mature appearance even in his youth. “The jokes were in the script before Uli was cast,” Nicolo reveals. “People always thought Dwayne was older than he was, so it worked to our benefit.”
Latukefu embraced the opportunity to depict Johnson’s challenging teenage years, marked by sports setbacks and emotional struggles. However, taking on the role of such a contemporary icon came with pressure. “Everything he touches turns to gold, and I didn’t want to be the first to put the hole in the boat, so to speak,” Latukefu confesses. Reassurance came directly from Dwayne Johnson himself. “We had a video meeting, and Dwayne was really gracious,” Latukefu recounts. “He said, ‘Go have fun. You’re the guy we chose. We think you’re going to do an excellent job.’ That was really encouraging for me to bring what I would normally bring and back my own choices.”
While finding the right actors to play Dwayne Johnson was paramount, the family surrounding him was equally crucial to the “Young Rock” narrative. For Colloff and Nicolo, casting Rocky and Ata Johnson, Dwayne’s parents, presented a different kind of challenge – an abundance of talent. “We saw a ton of guys for the role of Rocky, but Joseph Lee [Anderson] came in and nailed it,” Nicolo says of the actor. “He brought little things to it that other people didn’t. He had a way of making it his own while staying true to the real person.” New Zealander Stacey Leilua stood out for the role of Ata. “There was something about Stacey that felt so authentic,” Colloff explains. “I think Dwayne felt that from her and the real Ata definitely felt that. She was strong, genuine and kind at the same time.”
“Young Rock” is notable for its progressive and nuanced portrayal of Pacific Islanders. A significant portion of the regular and recurring cast hail from Pacific Islander communities like Samoa and Tonga. Johnson himself is of Black and Samoan heritage, and the actors chosen to portray him also reflect this multiracial background. The commitment to authentic representation extends to the casting of Johnson’s family, ensuring ethnic diversity throughout the main cast, including Anderson, Leilua, and Ana Tuisila (Lia Maivia).
This dedication to diversity extends behind the camera as well. Showrunners Khan and Chiang fostered a writers’ room where over half the writers are people of color and nearly half are women. This diverse talent pool enriches the storytelling of “Young Rock,” lending a deeper authenticity to the series.
The audience response to “Young Rock” has been overwhelmingly positive, embracing the NBC series’ exploration of how family shapes an individual. Ultimately, the most important approval comes from Dwayne Johnson himself. “He’s really proud of the representation of his family,” Carreras shares. “It’s amazing that his mom got to be in a couple episodes. Watching them on screen was so powerful and emotional. You can see that it affects Dwayne emotionally, which is the ultimate compliment for us as producers, and [Nahnatchka] and Jeff as writers. It’s really resonating with him.” The careful and thoughtful casting of “Young Rock” has clearly paid off, contributing to the show’s success in capturing the spirit of Dwayne Johnson’s incredible life story.
“Young Rock” is a production of Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, Seven Bucks Productions, and Fierce Baby Productions, showcasing the collaborative effort behind bringing this unique story to the screen.
