Dwayne Johnson Opens Up About Being ‘Rocked’ by Divorce from Ex-Wife Dany Garcia: ‘I Was Really Going Through It’

NEED TO KNOW

• Dwayne Johnson recalled seeking “easy, light, family films that made me feel good” while going through his divorce

• The actor, who announced his split from Dany Garcia in 2007, wound up starring in films like The Game Plan and Tooth Fairy

• Today, Johnson, now married to Lauren Hashian, runs a production company with his ex-wife Garcia

Dwayne Johnson sought feel-good movie roles while going through his difficult divorce from ex-wife Dany Garcia.

The Smashing Machine actor looked back on his career while recording an episode of The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast in front of an audience of students at Chapman University.

At one point in the conversation, Johnson, 53, explained how early in his acting journey, after launching himself in action movies, he fell into lighter roles during his separation from Garcia.

He headlined a string of PG-rated family movies, including 2007’s The Game Plan to 2009’s Race to Witch Mountain and 2010’s Tooth Fairy.

“The truth is — and I can look back on that time with real clarity these days — those days, things were a little cloudy,” said Johnson. “I loved making those movies. I also think I manifested those because I don’t think I was ready for anything other than easy, light, family films that made me feel good.”

Foxvan Prods/Kobal/Shutterstock

Dwayne Johnson in “Tooth Fairy” (2010)

“At that time, I was also going through a separation and a divorce,” he told the audience. The former WWE star married Garcia in 1997, and they welcomed daughter Simone in 2001. Later, in 2007, the couple announced their separation.

“When you guys get married, as a few of you may know, you sign up for the long haul, but then it doesn’t always work out like that, and then it rocks you like it rocked me. And we had a baby, and what kind of father was I going to be?”

He continued, “Anyway, I feel like at that time I was really going through it. That was another bout of depression. I was trying to figure my stuff out, and that was the only thing that I really wanted to do artistically; I didn’t want anything that was going to challenge me to rip my guts out, I wanted stuff that has a happy ending, and so that’s what that was.”

Steve Granitz/FilmMagic

Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia on Sept. 29, 2025

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

When they announced their split in 2007, Johnson and Garcia, now 56, said, “We’ve been fortunate enough to spend the last 17 years together as a couple and look forward to spending the rest our lives together as best friends and business partners.”

They’ve remained friendly exes and business partners, co-founding the production company Seven Bucks Productions in 2012. Johnson married wife Lauren Hashian in 2019, and they share daughters Jasmine, 9, and Tiana, 6.

In 2022, Johnson explained what it’s like working with an ex. “Where we’re at today comes with a lot of work and a lot of digging in,” he said on Sway’s Universe at the time. “I mean, that was years ago. Now, while marriage wasn’t in our cards, we did realize, ‘Well, wait a second, we’re building something that’s pretty cool.’ Marriage may not be in our cards but building business can be. And that took time.”

Johnson admitted that “stuff can get ugly” during a divorce, but “if you can get through the sludge” with “great communication,” then “on the other side of that is usually some greatness.”

Hashian, 41, recently praised her husband for his “transformative” performance in The Smashing Machine on Instagram.

“I’ve never had a chance to see him dive into a film or story like this before. No one has,” she wrote. “It’s a privilege and honor experiencing his depths, his complexities and his capacity to love and empathize and do great things every day in our home and lives. And it’s beautiful to watch so many of those layers come through in his performance and feel this pulling desire to connect on a human level and an even deeper soul level now in his work.”

She added in the post, “So proud of you my man. Will never forget what this moment has felt like.”

Read the original article on People