Dwayne Johnson is known for a number of things. He’s known for sharing jacked post-workout pics, and also for letting fans in on his homemade late night cheat meals, obviously, but he’s also known for being one of the world’s most beloved and hardest working stars. And, the eyebrow-raising wrestler turned mega-star actor turned movie-producing powerhouse got a lot of help along the way to his enduring fame from his producing partner, Dany Garcia, who just so happens to be his ex-wife. Johnson recently talked about working with her, and offered some advice to other exes who are looking to do the same.
What Did Dwayne Johnson Say About Working With Dany Garcia?
The former spouses began their company, Seven Bucks Productions, in 2012, several years after finalizing their divorce in 2008. Garcia has also served as his manager for a number of years, and with their profiles in the industry being as high as they are, people are often intrigued by how the exes have managed to build an empire together while not letting any of the old wounds of their marriage get in the way. During an interview with Sway’s Universe, Johnson was asked about their enduring partnership and he said:
Where we’re at today comes with a lot of work and a lot of digging in. I mean, that was years ago. Now, while marriage wasn’t in our cards, we did realize, ‘Well, wait a second, we’re building something that’s pretty cool.’ Marriage may not be in our cards, but building business can be. And that took time.
Many exes (they’ve both since remarried, him in a secret wedding to Lauren Hashian in 2019) wouldn’t even consider such a thing as working together, especially after their personal relationship had come to an end. Truthfully, a lot of people would rather just disappear off of the face of the earth than even see or hear from their ex-spouse again, so the fact that Garcia and Johnson saw the importance and potential benefits of them getting together to build a business was already a giant accomplishment. He continued, and offered some words of wisdom on how other exes can do the same:
I will say my advice and council here would be -- and it sounds a lot easier said than done, quite frankly it is -- but, man, when you can skillfully communicate your feelings and your intentions, and you come to the table with your partner as you are going through separation or divorce -- I’ve been there. Stuff can get ugly at times when you’re having these conversations... but if you can get through the sludge, and it requires great communication, then on the other side of that is usually some greatness.
He echoed Garcia’s sentiments from a Newsweek interview in 2016, when she noted that they “took the time to clean up the areas we weren't communicating in the right way,” a process she noted took about a year. And, clearly, that work has paid off. Not only is he, as mentioned, one of our most recognizable movie stars, but their company has put out hits and well-received fare like Jumanji: Welcome To the Jungle and it’s sequel, Shazam!, the expectation-meeting Hobbs & Shaw, Rampage, the Florence Pugh starring Fighting with My Family, DC League of Super Pets, Johnson’s HBO series, Ballers, NBC’s Young Rock, and the recently dethroned Black Adam, just to name a few.
He continued, and said that finding that common ground was essential for their professional partnership and will be the thing to help other former couples work together, as well, adding:
Usually you find a nice common place where you can work with your ex, your spouse, your ex-spouse, and get to a good place and stay focused on whatever the goals are. For us, it came down to communication. And that wasn’t easy for me. Years ago, I would, like a lot of dudes, we keep our emotions inside.
He learned to stop bottling up his emotions and it helped him become a movie star. If that’s not a reason to at least give it a try, then nothing is. Dwayne Johnson’s list of upcoming movies is an impressive one, and includes next year’s holiday film, Red One, so you can be sure that you’ll be seeing a lot of the fruits of his labor with Dany Garcia in the near future.
