He’s a great actor who started out as a wrestler - but did you know Johnson first found stardom as a college footballer? Ballers follows an ex-footballer-turned-financial-manager, and those in-game montages of a young guy who looks like Johnson playing football really do show the former WWE Superstar wrestler – he played defensive tackle at the University of Miami, Florida, on a full scholarship and would have become a pro NFL footballer if he hadn’t been hit with career-ending injuries.
Johnson has a lot more in common with his character, Spencer Strasmore, than just former football glory. Strasmore’s business has gone through heavenly highs and lows that make the bottom of the ocean look like the shallow end of the pool. And that too mirrors Johnson’s personal life.
“I know what it’s like to owe a lot of people a lot of money and to have nothing. I lived that life. I know what it’s like to have money now too,” says the 47-year-old, who has been one of the world’s highest-paid actors since 2012, features on Time’s 100 most Influential People in the World lists and has an estimated net worth of more than $320m (R4.9bn).
HBO’s Ballers is five seasons of sheer sporting and acting joy from Johnson and worth a watch - especially as you can stream the whole thing from start to finish on Showmax.
