It goes without saying that Stan Lee was a special person, having helped birth a comic book universe in the ‘60s that the public still enjoys decades later. And when it came to Hollywood, the late writer and producer forged strong relationships with a number of actors. One of the stars Lee became close with is wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne Johnson, and Johnson’s producing partner has revealed a very heartwarming moment shared between the two before Lee passed away.
Hiram Garcia, who has taken pictures of Dwayne Johnson for the past 20 years, has compiled those snapshots into a book entitled The Rock: Through the Lens, His Life, His Movies, His World. One of the images included in the book is one that features both Johnson and Stan Lee, and Garcia explained why that particular still represents one of his favorite stories:
One of my favorite stories I was able to capture was of him and Stan Lee, before Stan passed. It had been years since they had seen each other, but Stan was one of the legends of the business that when DJ first broke into Hollywood, he greeted him with open arms and he really believed in him and what he would be able to do. Stan thought DJ had a lot to offer to the business. This image was taken many years after they first met, and it was taken at Stan’s Comic-Con in L.A., where we were presented some footage of our movie Rampage, and the news had come out that DJ would be putting on a cape and entering the DC world as Black Adam. It was a really sweet moment to come full circle and for Stan to say, ‘I always knew you were going to be what you were going to become.’
Stan Lee was known for being an upbeat and supportive person, and it’s sweet to hear that he was rooting for Dwayne Johnson early in his career. Ultimately, Hiram Garcia’s comments to Variety only further cement what we’ve come to know about the late Marvel icon.
And Lee was certainly right about Johnson having a lot to offer Hollywood. Since entering the acting realm, Johnson has headlined box office hits like San Andreas, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Hobbs & Shaw. Combined, all of his films have managed to gross over $4 billion worldwide and over $10 billion worldwide, according to Business Insider. Needless to say, Johnson’s made quite a dent within the industry since making his big-screen debut in The Mummy Returns.
One can only imagine that Dwayne Johnson aspires to leave a legacy as impactful as Stan Lee’s. Even years after his death, Lee is still highly revered by his colleagues and many are still finding ways to pay tribute. Just recently, Arnold Schwarzenegger has been working to honor Stan Lee by ensuring that one of his final TV projects makes it to the screen.
While many of us still miss Stan Lee, fans can be comforted by memories they have of meeting him or their earliest memories of discovering his work. Memories like the one Dwayne Johnson has are incredibly precious, and anyone who has similar memories will likely hold on to them for the rest of their lives.
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