Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Reflects On Mother’s Suicide Attempt On Social Media

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson reflected on his mother’s suicide attempt 30 years ago on social media.

THE ROCK ON MOTHER’S SUICIDE ATTEMPT

The actor posted a photo in character from the set of Ballers, which saw them filming in a cemetery. “Not your typical scene on our comedy #ballers, as I cracked a beer open toasting my brother, William who committed suicide. Got me thinkin’ though bout how many of us have been affected by suicide of our friends, family. Struggle and pain is real. We’ve all been there on some level or another,” the actor wrote on Instagram.

He then shared a story of his own experience with suicide, when his mom attempted to take her own life when he was 15-years-old. “My mom tried to check out when I was 15. She got outta the car on Interstate 65 in Nashville and walked into oncoming traffic. Big rigs and cars swerving outta the way not to hit her. I grabbed her and pulled her back on the gravel shoulder of the road. What’s crazy about that suicide attempt is to this day, she has no recollection of it whatsoever. Probably best she doesn’t,” he said. “S–ts of a scene to shoot — didn’t like it — but it did reminder that we always gotta do our best to really pay attention when people are in pain. Help ‘em thru it, get ‘em talkin’ about the struggle and remind ‘em that they’re not alone. We got lucky that day when I was 15 and that ain’t always the case.”

Johnson has shared the story of his mother in the past on OWN’s Oprah’s Master Class in 2015. “I knew that my parents were going through some really, really tough times in terms of their marriage,” he said at the time. “I’ll never forget it. It was probably about 1 o’clock in the afternoon. We were at a restaurant, the three of us, and they got into it. They got into a very big fight—not physical, but just really loud arguing.” He described that he was driving behind his parents when their car started swerving and eventually they both pulled over. As his mother walked into oncoming traffic, Johnson made a move.

“I grabbed her and wrestled her over to the side of the road. I don’t remember what I said to her. I remember she didn’t say a thing,” he said of his mother. “In that moment, one of the greatest lessons I’ve ever learned was how precious life is and how in an instant, it can all go away. [It] changed me.”