Dwayne Johnson, famously known as The Rock, met with Chinese fans on Tuesday, June 2, to promote his new 3D disaster film, “San Andreas.” Film director Brad Peyton was also with him.
"San Andreas" tells the story of a massive earthquake that strikes the American state of California. Amid the chaos and hopelessness, Raymond Gaines, a search-and-rescue helicopter pilot (played by Johnson) reconnects with his estranged wife to save their only daughter.
Johnson underwent intensive training to prepare for his dangerous stunt falls.
"So I played a first responder, which was an honor to play. And what I realized is whether it is in America or anywhere around the world in any culture, first responders to disasters in an epic event like this. (He is) a very special individual, so I had an opportunity to spend time with them--the helicopter rescue pilots, learning how to operate a helicopter though not that good. And also for me, (I) was never been in a disaster genre before."
American actress Carla Gugino plays Johnson's estranged wife, Emma Gaines, while Alexandra Daddario of "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" fame played his daughter, Blake Gaines.
In the movie, Raymond Gaines and his wife already lost another daughter to an accident. This makes him all the more driven to find and rescue his remaining daughter.
"The other element is about losing a child, for us, losing a daughter. To me, just as an actor having that layer was not only challenging but also very powerful and moving, too. I couldn't draw from anything in my life experience because I have one child. I don't know what I'll do if I lost him, I don't know how I would respond. So I loved personally the challenging of balancing how heroic the character was, but also balancing the pain that he lived with every day of losing a child."
"San Andreas" opened in North America and became an instant hit in the box office, with $53.2 million in earnings in its opening weekend alone. The disaster film is now showing in Chinese cinemas.