Dwayne Johnson (Jumanji), also known as The Rock, is taking a walk down memory lane as his autobiographical sitcom Young Rock prepares to premiere tonight on NBC, via Entertainment Weekly. Letting fans into his world, he posted a video on Instagram Tuesday from his native state of Hawaii, discussing his roots and where he came from.
Young Rock is a period piece that spans decades throughout the eighties and early nighties as it chronicles Johnson’s life in his early years. The cast will star Adrian Groulx (The Christmas Cure) as Johnson at age 10, Bradley Constant (Following Phil) at age 15, and Uni Latukefu (Marco Polo) from the ages 18-20. The series also features Stacey Leilua (Love Birds) as Johnson’s mother, Joseph Lee Anderson (Harriet) as his father, and Ana Tuisila (Harry) will play his grandmother.
On his Instagram on Tuesday, Johnson shared a personal video ahead of Young Rock’s premiere, setting the stage for what’s to come. Filmed on location in Honolulu, Hawaii, Johnson gave speech detailing his humble beginnings and the adversity he faced early on in life as a teenager: “When I think back at that time my dream was to number one not leave here, not leave Hawaii…But life is so wildly unpredictable and when you look back sometimes the dreams that we have, the things that we want most to happen in life sometimes are the best things that never happen. Because truth is had I been evicted and had we not been kicked off the island, that would not have sent me on a path of being motivated and driven to work hard…” The video has since gotten over a million views.
See Johnson’s full speech below:
Johnson then went on to share another video on Instagram, which featured a teaser trailer for the Young Rock. The short clip stars the 10-year-old Rock with Johnson writing in the caption: “What a journey it’s been and yes — I was known as little Dewey aka the pretty little boy with an afro that everyone thought was a little girl.” The famous wrestler Andre The Giant (The Princess Bride), a friend of Johnson’s who’s portrayed by Matt Willig (Birds of Prey,) also makes a cameo in the clip.
See the full teaser for Young Rock below:
Young Rock premieres tonight, 8 p.m. E.T. on NBC.