Entertainment NOW

2 • March 13 - 19, 2022 Entertainment Now By Rachel Jones TV Media D wayne "The Rock" John- son ("Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle," 2017) is a man who needs no intro- duction. Except for those who've been living under a rock (pun not intended, but gladly left in), chances are nearly everyone with a television will have heard of the professional wrestler-turned-Hol- lywood action star. Now, after a successful freshman season of "smelling what the Rock is cook- ing," Johnson's biographical sit- com "Young Rock" returns for Season 2 Tuesday, March 15, on NBC. Created by Johnson and "Don't Trust the B—- in Apartment 23's" Nahnatchka Khan, the comedy series follows the legend himself throughout his formative upbring- ing and on to the year 2032, when Johnson stars as a presidential version of himself; a plot choice that has left many fans of the show (and the man) wondering whether this is a plan he has for the future. During Johnson's (for now fictional) campaign on the show, he sits for a series of interviews that trigger memories from differ- ent time periods in his life. Given that Johnson is now heading into his 50th year, he can hardly play the younger versions of himself, so this is where Adrian Groulx ("See"), Bradley Constant ("Following Phil," 2018) and Uli Latukefu ("Marco Polo") come in. Groulx plays Johnson at 10 years old; Constant portrays the rising star throughout his teenage years, attending high school in Pennsylvania; and Latukefu, who also stars alongside Johnson in the upcoming film "Black Adam," covers Johnson's life as a young adult while he attends the Univer- sity of Miami, beginning in 1990. It's not all Rock on Rock on Rock, however, as Stacey Leilua ("Love Birds," 2011) is just one of the talented stars who round out the cast of the series. Leilua brings life to the role of Ata Johnson, Dwayne's mother. An inspiration to so many and a classic example of a rags- to-riches story, the Rock began adulthood as a broke 20-year-old. Since then, he's become one of the most well-known professional wrestlers on the planet, and more recently, one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood. Given his drive to succeed, it comes as no surprise that Johnson has seen the sort of accomplish- ment he has, though according to an interview about the sitcom, Johnson stated that he still doesn't feel like he has done enough. Another good reason to speculate about his potential fu- ture run for president, perhaps? Johnson has long claimed that his world-class drive and determi- nation stems from his childhood experiences, a sentiment that was backed up by Kahn in an interview with Deadline: "There's so much that people don't know about how he got to where he is. I think that's what we're [the cast and crew of "Young Rock"] interested in exploring … the sur- prising moments and the times where it was really tough for him and his family." By providing insight into John- son's young life and the making of his mega-career, "Young Rock" allows viewers to engage with his struggles and experiences in a personal way, thus sympathizing with every goal and the drive that helped shaped him into the ex- traordinary celebrity he is today. The first season, which de- buted in February 2021, consisted of 11 episodes and ended on a bit of a cliffhanger as (spoilers!) 10-year-old Rock's grandmother, Lia Maivia (Ana Tuisila, "Harry"), was arrested; high school Rock failed to make the NFL; and future Rock may have won the election — the verdict is still out on that one. Needless to say, it will be in- teresting to see where the second season takes us. Cover Story Stacey Leilua and Adrian Groulx star in "Young Rock" Past and future: Dwayne Johnson looks both ways in Season 2 of 'Young Rock' Ready Rental 3 x 4 Hayley Siefert 3 x 2 Letters & Numbers Sudoku Fill in the grid so that every row,every column, and every 4x4 box contains the digits 1 through 9 AND the letters A-F. Solution on page 12.

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