While it might have been a gross process, applying yak testicle hair to his face was the least of Dwayne Johnson’s worries with “Hercules.” As revealed shortly after filming, the Rock quite literally put all he had into the role, to the point that during one of his most crucial scenes, he passed out from exhaustion.
Speaking to Sky News about the scene in question, Johnson explained, “It was the most important scene for me in the entire movie … so I asked my props supervisor to give me real chains, real cuffs, real cement so I could not break them if I tried.” It turns out that regardless of being one of Hollywood’s most iconic heavies in the action genre, he finally reached a limit. Johnson continued, “With all my might and my energy I screamed, ‘I am Hercules,’ until I had nothing left. The thing is … if you have no place to put this energy and intensity and it’s just stuck here … you completely black out. I blacked out and fainted.”
Unfortunately, it’s nothing new for actors to make intense sacrifices for a role, but passing out seems like a rare thing for Johnson to endure given his career has thrived on action movies and franchises. Thankfully, since “Hercules,” there have been no instances that have seen the Rock stumble on set, or (to his relief, we’re sure) roles that come with quite as much yak hair.
Check out Looper’s list of Dwayne Johnson’s best and worst movies.
