Dwayne Johnson was arguably the hardest-working man in Hollywood in 2017. With massive hits like Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Baywatch, The Fate of the Furious, his hit TV series Ballers, and a queue of Blockbusters lined up through 2020, it’s no surprise that The Rock ended up on Forbes 2018 Celebrity 100 list.
But in typical Rock fashion, he didn’t just make the annual list of highest-earning celebrities—he topped it (for the actors, at least) and made history doing so. Johnson earned $124 million in 2017, the largest acting-related earnings ever recorded in the 20-year history of Forbes Celebrity 100. That gargantuan figure is nearly twice the $65 million Johnson raked in back in 2016.
“I work extremely hard but never anticipated (in my wildest dreams) I’d become the highest paid actor in Forbes’ history,” Johnson wrote on the post. “I don’t have a Harvard MBA, but my business philosophy and acumen has been sharpened over time and thru failure. My goal when I was wrestling in flea markets for $40bucks per match (well before the bright lights of the @wwe) is still the exact same goal I have today – ALWAYS put my AUDIENCE FIRST. I have one boss – the world. Send you home happy, and I’ve done my job.”
The Rock’s philosophy definitely shows in his work, and the world can’t seem to get enough of his action-packed films. With the hype surrounding upcoming flicks like Jungle Cruise,Hobbs and Shaw, Jumanji 2, and Red Notice, it looks like he won’t be slowing down any time soon either.
Follow The Rock on Instagram at @therock and catch Skyscraper in theaters now.
