Climbing to the top of three very different fields takes not only talent but also iron discipline.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was one of the biggest stars in professional wrestling and a central figure of WWE's legendary Attitude Era. When he decided to walk away from that success and try his luck in Hollywood, it was a huge risk. After a few initial setbacks, however, he managed to build a second brilliant career -- and later even a third, in music, with his song You're Welcome from Disney's Moana soundtrack earning widespread praise.

Climbing to the top of three very different fields takes not only talent but also iron discipline. Johnson says his success comes from sticking firmly to a set of clear principles -- including one that he follows religiously on film sets, Far Out Magazine reports.

In an interview with eTalk while promoting his holiday movie Red One (2024), which he produced through his own company Seven Bucks Productions, Johnson revealed the main rule that applies to all his projects and partners:

"I feel like in Hollywood, your reputation always precedes you," he said. "I'd heard that Chris Evans was a great guy -- and that was important. We have a policy at Seven Bucks, and it applies to me personally too: we don't work with assholes anymore."

Red One had a short theatrical run before landing on Amazon Prime just in time for the holidays. In the film, Johnson plays Santa Claus's bodyguard, while Evans portrays a blacklisted hacker. Together, they try to rescue the kidnapped Christmas icon. Johnson reportedly earned $50 million for the role.

Ironically, rumors from the set suggest that Johnson himself doesn't always follow his own rule. Sources claim he often showed up 7-8 hours late, significantly increasing the film's budget. Johnson admits that some of the accusations are true but insists that many stories have been greatly exaggerated.

Whether the "no assholes" policy is more than just a catchy media soundbite remains debatable. One thing is certain, though -- even with occasional controversies, Dwayne Johnson continues to play by his own rules in Hollywood. | BGNES